


The Purgatory Story

by HaughtScot



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Childhood Friends, Earp sisters, F/F, Past Relationship(s), The Philadelphia Story - Freeform, Weddings, brief mentions of WayYacht, but gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:48:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25147981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HaughtScot/pseuds/HaughtScot
Summary: Waverly Earp, youngest daughter of one of Purgatory's most prominent families, is just days away from her dream wedding.  Everything is on track until the arrival of a journalist looking for scandal, and the return of a familiar face from her past.
Relationships: Waverly Earp & Wynonna Earp, Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught, WayHaught, Wynonna Earp & Nicole Haught
Comments: 124
Kudos: 271





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Purgatory!
> 
> This story was born from a love of classic Hollywood comedies, especially those of Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, and an odd desire to see Waverly and Nicole in these roles. It's based on one of my favourites, The Philadelphia Story (hence the original title) and I hope you enjoy it!

Waverly hummed distractedly as she cast an eye over the latest collection of gifts that had arrived that morning, all shiny wrapping and ostentatious bows. She’d been excited when the first parcels were delivered a week ago but as the pile grew daily, she found herself less enthused. How many cutlery sets, champagne flutes or gravy boats could one couple need? When Perry visited after work, they would open these latest gifts and note who had sent what for the thank you letters to be written after the wedding. 

_The wedding_. Waverly couldn’t believe that after months of planning, there was less than a week to go until she was to marry Perry. Her initial tentative suggestion of a small, intimate ceremony had been quickly overruled; for the youngest daughter of one of Purgatory’s oldest and most prominent families, nothing less than a high-profile wedding with hundreds of guests would do. Perry, keen to stay on her father’s good side, immediately agreed to the idea, and Waverly hadn’t taken much persuasion when she saw how excited everyone else was. 

Now, three days before the wedding, she was surrounded by gifts, flowers, outfits and above all, people. Everywhere she looked, strangers were hurrying through and around the house, beginning the process of turning the sprawling mansion and grounds into a spectacular wedding venue. Her father and her eldest sister were directing operations, leaving Waverly with little to do but trail through the house in their wake. 

She stepped out into the garden and saw her father barking instructions at the men setting up the pole tent, while Willa pointed out where chairs should be placed for the ceremony. Seeing that everything was in hand, Waverly headed instead for the sunroom only to find it had already been claimed. Wynonna, her other sister, was sprawled on the rattan sofa, one boot-clad foot propped on the table and a mug clutched in her hand. She looked up when Waverly walked in and sat at the other end of the sofa, before returning her gaze to the garden. 

“What are you doing in here?” Waverly asked. 

“Keeping a safe distance from all of that,” she replied, gesturing to the scene in front of them, the liquid in her mug sloshing as she did so. 

Waverly caught the unmistakable aroma of whiskey and raised an eyebrow. “Starting early?” 

“Hair of the dog,” Wynonna shrugged, raising the mug in her direction, “how come you’re hiding in here anyway?” 

“I’m not hiding,” Waverly protested, “just, everything is in hand so I’m leaving them to get on with it.” 

“In other words, dad and Willa are terrorising everyone and there’s nothing left for you to do?” 

Waverly smiled ruefully. “Yeah, that’s pretty much it.” 

“As long as that’s what you want. It’s your wedding after all,” Wynonna said pointedly. 

“Of course it’s what I want,” Waverly replied a little too quickly. Wynonna looked at her steadily until she added, “I’m happy with the plans. It’s going to be a beautiful wedding.” 

Wynonna still looked sceptical but nodded anyway. Just then, a shrill voice from the garden called loudly, “Waverly! Out here!” 

Waverly looked out to see Willa beckoning her, and Wynonna said, “Sounds like you’re needed.” 

Before she left, Waverly swiped the mug and took a gulp before handing it back and heading into the garden, the alcohol burning her throat and Wynonna’s laughter following her. Willa was studying the clipboard she clutched in her hand, and only looked up when Waverly was right next to her. 

“There you are. What do you think of the seating?” she asked, indicating the rows of white fabric-draped chairs, each adorned with a deep pink bow. 

“I, uh, I thought we were going for the royal blue bows?” Waverly asked. 

“No, we changed to pink, remember? It’s more appropriate for a summer wedding, and easier to match to the flowers.” 

“Oh. But Perry was supposed to match his vest and tie to the royal blue.” 

“He knows we changed to pink, everyone does. Apart from you, it seems,” Willa said pointedly. 

“No, I knew. There’s just a lot to think about right now.” 

Willa’s expression softened and she squeezed Waverly’s shoulder. “That’s what Daddy and I are here for, okay? Just let us deal with all of this and you can look forward to the wedding.” 

She led Waverly between the chairs, pointing out where everyone would be sitting, but Waverly noticed one person that she had overlooked. 

“What about Mama, where will she sit?” Waverly spoke up. 

“Mama? She’s decided to come after all, has she?” Willa frowned. 

“She was always coming, Willa. She’s our mother.” 

“She’d do well to remember that. Six months since she walked out and we’ve heard nothing from her.” 

Waverly bit back her response. She spoke to her mother every week and knew that Wynonna did too, but Willa, as always, had sided with their father. “She didn’t walk out, she just went to stay with Aunt Gus for a while,” she tried to reason. 

“And forgot to come back?” Willa asked snidely, then shook her head. “Never mind. Actually, it’ll look better if the whole family is there anyway, presenting a united front.” 

Waverly sighed quietly as Willa turned and walked away, expecting her to follow. With Willa, appearances were always the most important thing.  As she trailed after her sister, their father appeared from the tent and intercepted them. “How is everything out here? All going to plan?” he asked, casting a critical eye over the garden. 

“Once I made sure everyone knew what they were doing, yes. I think it looks good,” Willa told him.

“Just keep an eye on everyone, this has to be perfect.” 

“It will be, when the flowers arrive everything will be beautiful,” Waverly spoke up, but her father carried on speaking over her. “Everything should be in place for the journalist and photographer arriving tomorrow.” 

It took Waverly a moment to realise what her father had just said, and one glance at Willa’s face was enough to tell her that she had also been caught off guard. 

“Wait, what? What journalist?” Waverly asked at the same time as Willa said, “I wasn’t told about that.” 

He waved his hand dismissively at them as he turned away. “Oh, some magazine wanted to cover the wedding, and I accepted the offer. You won’t even know they’re here.” 

“But Daddy,” Waverly protested, “I don’t want my wedding in a magazine. I wanted it to be private.” 

“It’s hardly private when you have hundreds of guests,” he pointed out, and Willa was quick to agree with him. “Exactly. It won’t make any difference to you.”

“But it will. The day is supposed to be for me and Perry, not for the whole world to see.” 

“Don’t exaggerate Waverly. The journalist and the photographer are just another two guests,” her father told her. 

“But-“ she started. 

“No more buts. Look, the magazine is going to publish a story about your mother leaving us if we don’t let them cover the wedding. I’m doing this to avoid a scandal.” 

Waverly came to an abrupt stop as she tried to process what her father was telling her. “But there’s no scandal, Mama hasn’t left us. She’s coming for the wedding,” she tried to explain. 

“I know. We’ll all be together as a family, the magazine will get their photos and this will all go away.” 

“Why does it matter what some magazine prints? I don’t care what they say,” Waverly said defiantly. 

Her father rounded on her, “I care, and so does your mother. We’re doing this for the sake of the whole family. It’s not up for debate, Waverly.” 

Waverly recognised the tone of his voice and knew that she could argue no more. For her father, determined to uphold the prestigious family name, there would be no backing down. She sighed heavily, “Fine. For the family.” 

“Good girl,” he smiled, patting her on the shoulder before walking off, Willa a step behind him, leaving Waverly to wonder what had just happened. 

She made her way back to the sunroom but Wynonna had gone, taking her mug of whiskey with her. She threw herself down on the sofa and watched, frowning, as her father and Willa made their way around the garden, checking on the arrangements. Her small, intimate wedding seemed like a distant dream. Still, she tried to convince herself, she was about to marry Perry with all of her family in attendance, and that was what really mattered. 

By the time Perry arrived for dinner, the tent was up and the chairs arranged to Willa’s satisfaction, and everyone had been warned not to touch anything until the day of the wedding. Perry joined the family in the garden, giving Waverly a chaste kiss on the cheek when he sat next to her.

“What do you think so far, Perry?” Willa asked, her question accompanied by a sweeping gesture that encompassed the garden. 

“It looks beautiful. You’ve done a wonderful job,” he enthused. From the corner of her eye, Waverly caught Wynonna’s eye roll and let out a small giggle which she covered up with a cough. 

Perry turned to her and asked, “Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine. How was work today?” 

“Oh, it was great. I signed two new contracts today, clients I’ve been working on for months,” he told her animatedly, his eyes lighting up the way they did only when he talked about work. He launched into a story about his company’s latest triumph and although Waverly tried to listen attentively, she couldn’t help but let her mind wander a little. Glancing around, she saw that Wynonna had given up on any pretence of listening, while Willa’s eyes had taken on a slightly glazed expression. 

Her father, on the other hand, was nodding along approvingly. “That’s what I like to hear, that drive and ambition. Being a self-made man is very admirable,” he said, and Perry beamed. 

“Thank you sir, it’s very important to me.” 

The irony of such words from her father, whose wealth and businesses were inherited, wasn’t lost on Waverly, and from her barely disguised scoff, on Wynonna either. 

After dinner, Waverly and Perry opened all of the gifts that had arrived that day, Perry fastidiously matching names and addresses to gifts as they went along. He exclaimed over each one, making careful notes for thank you cards, and Waverly found herself getting caught up in his enthusiasm. 

When she broached the subject of the magazine story, he replied, “That’s great, I think it’s a really good idea.” 

“You do?” Waverly was still doubtful. 

“Sure. Why not share our day with everyone?

“Because it’s our day?” 

“And it’ll be nice for other people to see it. It could even be a good promotional opportunity,” he said thoughtfully.

“For what? Your company? You want to use our wedding to advertise?” 

“No, I didn’t mean that. Although, it never hurts to get your name out there...” Perry trailed off as he saw Waverly’s incredulous look. 

“I only agreed to this for the sake of my family. I’m still not happy about it,” she told him. 

“I’m sorry. We can pretend they’re not even there. The most important thing is us.” Perry pulled her into an embrace, and Waverly relaxed against him. After a moment, she felt him shift slightly, and he spoke up, “I didn’t realise how late it was. I have to go.” 

Waverly looked at her watch. “It’s only 9.30.” 

“I’ve got an early meeting tomorrow, an important one too. I need to be rested.” 

“Okay, I wouldn’t want to get in the way of your beauty sleep,” Waverly teased, moving away so he could stand up. 

When she’d seen him off, she went in search of Wynonna, wandering through dark rooms until she heard faint voices drifting in from the garden. As she got closer, she heard Wynonna’s raised voice, and another, quieter, that was all too familiar. Holding her breath, she stepped onto the patio and saw her sister talking to another woman, with even more familiar red hair. 

Wynonna stopped abruptly when she caught sight of Waverly, and the other woman turned to see what she was looking at. For the first time in two years, Waverly came face to face with her ex. 

Nicole’s face lit up with a wide dimpled grin, and she greeted her, “Hey Waves.”


	2. Chapter Two

Waverly stood rooted to the spot, mind racing as she tried to process the scene in front of her. Wynonna looked guilty, like she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t, her eyes flitting between Waverly and Nicole. 

“It’s good to see you,” Nicole broke the silence, moving towards Waverly, who found her feet and her voice at the same time, taking a step back as she asked, “What are you doing here?” 

She caught the brief flash of hurt in Nicole’s eyes before she answered simply, “I came home.” Waverly shook her head, as if that would make sense of her whirling thoughts. It had been almost two years since Nicole had left, a tempestuous relationship followed by an acrimonious break up leaving them both in need of space. 

“You came home? You disappeared for two years and all you have to say is that you came home?” Waverly burst out, and this time Nicole took a step back. 

“I didn’t disappear. You could have found me any time. Wynonna knew where I was.” 

Waverly spun to face her sister, who held her hands up defensively. “Whoa, hey, this is nothing to do with me. You both needed space, remember?” 

“Did you know she was coming back?” Waverly demanded, and Wynonna’s eye flicked quickly to Nicole before she replied, “I, uh, I might have heard something...” 

“And you didn’t think maybe I should know too?” 

Before Wynonna could answer, Nicole stepped in. “It’s not her fault, Waverly. It was kind of a spur of the moment decision to come back,” she explained gently. Waverly took a deep breath and turned back to her ex, and Nicole took the opportunity to continue, “And I hear congratulations are in order. I hope you and Perry are happy.” Nicole’s expression was sincere, a small smile on her lips, but to Waverly, there was something unreadable in her face. 

“How did you know?” she asked. 

“The wedding of the year, how could I not know? I still know what’s going on in Purgatory,” Nicole smiled, a hint of teasing in her tone. 

“Oh.” Waverly was at a loss for anything else to say, and the three stood in awkward silence until Nicole cleared her throat and said, “Okay, well, I’d better get going. Lots to sort out.” 

She started to reach her hand towards Waverly before seemingly thinking better of it and shoving both hands in her jacket pockets. “Good to see you both. Bye.” 

“Bye,” Waverly replied quietly, and Wynonna added, “See you tomorrow, Haught.” 

Nicole passed close to Waverly as she made her around the side of the house, and Waverly caught a trace of a very familiar vanilla scent that made her breath catch in her throat. When the sound of her footsteps had faded, Waverly let out a loud exhale and felt her shoulders slump. When she looked over at her sister, she saw Wynonna eyeing her warily. 

“Why, Wynonna? Why didn’t you tell me she was coming back?” 

“I only found out yesterday. You’ve been stressed about the wedding, I didn’t want to make things worse.” 

“And coming face to face with her, with no warning, is better?” 

“I didn’t know she was coming here tonight. I thought maybe you didn’t need to know until after the wedding. I’m sorry it happened like that.” 

Waverly moved over to the deck and perched on the edge, dropping her head into her hands. Seeing Nicole right in front of her for the first time in so long had affected her more than she ever would have thought. She felt Wynonna sit down next to her, and without lifting her head, asked, “Why is she back, Wynonna?” 

“I think she just wanted to come home, Waves. Any more than that, you’ll have to ask her.” 

Waverly huffed, telling herself that she didn’t care why Nicole was back, and instead asked, “Why did you say you’ll see her tomorrow?” 

“She, uh, wanted to hang out tomorrow so...” Wynonna trailed off as Waverly shot her a glare. 

“She can’t come here.”

“She’s not going to,” Wynonna assured her. 

“Good. Mama is coming tomorrow, and, God, that stupid journalist and photographer too. I can’t deal with Nicole being here too,” she groaned, dropping her head again, “how did this get so complicated?” 

“Because Earp family stuff always does?” Wynonna shrugged, and continued, “I’ll be here to help you out, okay? I’ll scare off the journalist if you want?” 

Waverly cracked a small smile. “Daddy would love that. Just help me get through the next few days, okay?” 

“Anything you need,” Wynonna promised, and Waverly leaned over to peck her on the cheek before standing up to head indoors. 

She made it up to her bedroom without seeing anyone else and started going through her nighttime routine, her mind elsewhere the whole time. She knew as soon as she got into bed that sleep would not come easily. After five minutes of plumping pillows, rearranging blankets and wriggling around to get comfortable, she finally slumped back against the pillows and allowed her thoughts to drift to everything that had happened that day. It only took a moment before they settled on Nicole. 

_Nicole_. Waverly groaned aloud and turned to bury her face in her pillow. For most of the last two years she’d tried to keep thoughts of Nicole far from her mind but suddenly it was filled with snapshots of their life together. She featured in so many of Waverly’s memories, reaching all the way back to her childhood. Both born into two of Purgatory’s most prominent families, their paths crossed frequently, more so when Nicole and Wynonna became firm friends. Waverly, several years their junior, was at first tolerated by them, then accepted and finally welcomed as they formed a close-knit group. 

When Wynonna, determined to defy her father, dropped out of college and took off travelling, it only brought Waverly and Nicole closer. The more time they spent together, the more obvious it was to Waverly that her feelings for Nicole ran far deeper than friendship. She packed those feelings up and tidied them away, telling herself that she didn’t want to risk their friendship, all the while knowing in reality she was scared of rejection. The day that she, terrified and trembling, spontaneously told Nicole of her feelings was captured in every detail in her memory. She remembered even more vividly the way that Nicole’s face lit up in the biggest, brightest smile, how she’d told Waverly that she’d been waiting for her, that she would have waited for her as long as it took.  _ I’ve always been yours, Waverly _ . 

The early years of their relationship were everything Waverly could have imagined; young and deeply in love, they existed as if in a dream, wrapped up only in each other. As they grew however, cracks started to appear. They travelled together; Nicole wanted to continue, or settle elsewhere while Waverly wanted to return to Purgatory. Family pressures started to creep in: to find a career, choose a path, to marry and settle. Their relationship, always passionate, turned stormy as it became clear they had different ideas for their future. It was Waverly that finally called time, although it almost broke her to do so, knowing that they couldn’t live with each other. Within a week of their break up, Nicole had left town and, other than an occasional update from Wynonna, Waverly hadn’t seen or heard anything of her until she found her in the garden earlier that night. 

As the wedding approached, Waverly had had trouble sleeping, nerves ( _ only natural, _ she told herself) interrupting her rest. This time however, it was thoughts of a certain redhead that kept her up most of the night. 

She finally drifted off into a fitful sleep only to be woken by a loud knocking on her door. Squinting against the bright light streaming through the curtains, she called hoarsely, “What is it?” 

The door opened and Willa appeared, sighing when she saw that Waverly was still in bed. “Why aren’t you up yet?” 

Waverly turned to look at her clock and replied, “It’s only just gone 8. And I didn’t sleep well.” 

Willa approached the bed and sat next to Waverly, scrutinising her as she said, “You do look a bit tired. Everything okay?” 

Waverly managed to muster up a smile. “I’m fine. Pre-wedding jitters, that’s all.” 

“Good. Now, come down to breakfast. The reporter and photographer will be here in a few hours, remember?” 

Waverly waited until Willa was heading out of the room before she grumbled, “How could I forget?” 

By the time Waverly entered the dining room, her father was in his customary position at the head of the table, with Willa to his right and further down the table, a dishevelled looking Wynonna, hunched over her plate. Waverly sat opposite Wynonna and began to fill a plate from the dishes set in the middle of the table, hoping that food would settle the uneasy feeling in her stomach. 

“Don’t often see you at breakfast. What are you doing up so early?” she asked Wynonna. 

“We’re under strict orders today,” Wynonna mumbled, glancing at the head of the table, and their father spoke up, “I wanted to speak to you all before these magazine people arrive. Remember why we are doing this.” 

“To show a united front,” Willa replied. 

“Exactly. We will all be polite and welcoming to them, we will treat them as guests and they will see that we are a united, happy family.” 

“Will they be here the whole time?” Waverly asked, already thinking about the level of scrutiny they would be under. 

“Until after the wedding, yes. So proper behaviour, and no nonsense,” he warned, looking pointedly at Wynonna, who gave him a falsely bright smile and replied, “Wouldn’t dream of it.” 

The rest of breakfast passed with more talk of details and arrangements, until Waverly excused herself under the guise of preparing for their guests’ arrival. She selected her outfit carefully, thinking of her father’s insistence on a good impression, opting for a floral sundress. 

As she got ready, her eye was repeatedly drawn to the garment bag hanging in the corner. In it, her wedding dress. Eventually, she went over and unzipped the bag, slipping her hand in to touch the delicate silk. Closing her eyes, she imagined wearing the dress, walking down the aisle towards the figure waiting for her. Morning suit, warm brown eyes, a dimple-popping smile, wavy red hair... Waverly’s eyes shot open and she pulled her hand away from the dress as if it burned.  _ Where did that come from? _ She shook her head, clearing the mental image and dismissing it as tiredness and lingering shock at seeing Nicole again.  _ I really need to get more sleep _ , she thought.

When she was ready, she went back downstairs and found her father and Willa in the largest living room, usually reserved only for entertaining the guests Ward was keen to impress. Waverly was quiet, absently picking at the embroidered cushion she held in her lap, feeling the tension in the air as they waited for the magazine people to arrive. 

All three jumped in surprise when the deep chime of the doorbell broke the heavy silence, and Ward left the room to answer the door. Willa and Waverly both stood as they heard voices approach the room, and Waverly nervously smoothed down her dress. Ward entered the room and stood aside to reveal their guests, a dark-haired woman and a man with the biggest moustache Waverly had ever seen. 

“Girls, please welcome our guests, Rosita and John Henry. This is my eldest daughter, Willa, and my youngest, Waverly, as I’m sure you know,” Ward introduced them. 

Waverly stepped forward to greet them, holding out her hand to the man first. “Nice to meet you, John Henry.” 

“And you, Waverly. You can call me Doc,” he smiled as he shook her hand. When she turned to shake hands with Rosita, she noticed the other woman give her an appraising look, but her tone was friendly. 

“Thank you for allowing us to be here for your wedding,” she said, and Waverly replied, as graciously as she could, “We’re pleased to have you here.” 

When the introductions had been made, Ward said, “Would you care for a drink before getting settled in? Coffee, tea?” 

Before anyone could answer, the door opened again and Wynonna breezed in, wearing a long, flowing pink dress. “I’m so sorry I’m late, please accept my apologies. It’s so wonderful to see you both,” she gushed, in a voice Waverly had never heard her use before. 

Everyone stared at her, wide-eyed, until Ward said, “This is my other daughter, Wynonna. Wynonna, this is Rosita and John Henry. I know you’ll make them feel welcome.” 

“Of course, Father. We are so delighted to have you join us on this momentous occasion,” she beamed, shaking hands with both of them, “now, can I offer you some refreshments?” 

Still looking taken-aback, they both asked for coffee and Ward and Willa went to prepare it. Waverly, although still confused herself, couldn’t help but smile at the slightly horrified expressions of their guests as Wynonna fussed around them, plumping cushions and chattering all the while. If they had any prior knowledge of the family at all, this version of Wynonna would be as far as possible from the rebellious middle sister they’d heard about. 

When she noticed Rosita surreptitiously looking round at the ostentatious decor of the room, Wynonna said, “Ah, I see you are admiring some of our artwork. Waverly here painted that one.” 

Waverly had to hold in her laughter; Wynonna had chosen to credit her with the most expensive piece of art in her father’s collection, his pride and joy. 

“Oh really?” Rosita looked sceptical but chose not to say anything further. 

“It’s lovely. You’re very talented,” John Henry complimented her. 

“Oh, thank you, but-” Waverly got no further before Wynonna interrupted her, “She’s terribly accomplished, you know. Speaks six languages. No, seven. In fact, we usually speak French at home.” 

Deciding to play along, Waverly added, “Sometimes we speak Latin, just for the fun of it.” 

“And what fun we have. We love nothing more than an evening gathered around the piano. Waverly plays and sings like an angel, of course.” 

“Is that so?” John Henry asked politely. 

“Perhaps she’d be so kind as to give us a song?” Wynonna gestured to the grand piano in the corner. 

“Oh, let’s not overwhelm our guests straight away Wynonna. Maybe a family,” Waverly looked at Rosita and John Henry, “and guests, of course, sing-song later.” She felt a little guilty at the matching looks of horror on their faces at that suggestion, but she was also having more fun than she’d thought possible in the situation that she had been dreading. 

At that, Ward and Willa returned with the coffee and Waverly could almost feel the sense of relief their guests experienced at being rescued. They made small talk over coffee, Ward mostly keeping it on track but Wynonna still interjecting with the odd throwaway comment. Waverly was torn between going along with whatever game Wynonna was playing and behaving as her father expected her to. 

Finally, Willa offered to show Rosita and John Henry out to the guest house, and Ward accompanied them, leaving Waverly and Wynonna to clear away the trays of cups and dishes. As soon as they were alone, Waverly turned to Wynonna and demanded, “What was that?” 

“What was what?” she replied innocently. 

“All of whatever you just did.” 

“Just being the dutiful, welcoming daughter like daddy asked,” Wynonna grinned. 

“I don’t know who was more shocked when you burst in like that,” Waverly said, laughing now. 

“Your faces were a picture. I thought Willa might burst.” 

“I don’t know what dad’s going to have to say about that, I don’t think he was expecting you to come in like some Jane Austen character talking about my accomplishments.” 

“What can he say? I was polite, I welcomed our guests, I didn’t say anything inappropriate,” she ticked off on her fingers. 

“You told them I painted a million dollar painting!” 

“Yeah, I did enjoy that one. Look, if they’ve got to be here we might as well have some fun with them, right?” 

“I can’t even imagine what they’re going to write about you,” Waverly shook her head. 

“Whatever it is, I’m sure people have said worse,” she shrugged, “and now I’m going to change before I meet Nicole.” 

Waverly chose to ignore the mention of Nicole and instead asked, “Where did you find that dress anyway?” 

“It’s Willa’s. Hideous, isn’t it?” she said, giving a dramatic twirl before she flounced out of the room, leaving Waverly laughing. 

Half an hour later Waverly was in the garden, watching as tables and chairs were carried into the tent, when John Henry approached holding his camera. 

“Hi Doc,” she greeted him, “did you get settled in okay?” 

“We did, thank you. I wondered if you would object to me taking some photos of the preparation?” he asked as he gestured to the activity going on around them. 

“Um, no, I think that would be fine. Nothing will appear before the wedding though?” 

“No, the piece won’t be published until after, don’t worry.” 

“Then sure, feel free,” Waverly smiled, although she still felt uneasy at letting a stranger be involved in her wedding. 

“Thank you. Rosita will be out shortly to speak to you too,” he told her before walking off to scope out his shots. 

She followed his progress from a distance until she was joined by Rosita and they went into the garden room to talk. Waverly was at first hesitant; there was something about the other woman that threw her slightly. She knew that Rosita hadn’t bought any of their act earlier, but she started off asking straightforward questions about how long Waverly and Perry had been together and how she was feeling about the wedding. 

Waverly had started to relax and the conversation was flowing when Rosita asked, “And what about Mrs Earp? Is she around?” 

Thrown, Waverly replied, “She’s, uh, she’ll be here soon. Visiting my aunt.” 

“I see. Has she helped with the wedding planning?” 

“Perry and I have done most of it ourselves but my family have all been very helpful,” Waverly said neutrally and tried to steer the conversation away from the topic of her mother. 

The rest of the afternoon passed in the same manner, Waverly and Willa spending hours involved in wedding preparation observed by Rosita and Doc. Waverly was tired of evading the reporter’s questions about her mother, choosing to let Willa deal with them instead. 

They were walking around the side of the house, trying to distract Rosita and Doc with a tour of the grounds, when they heard the rumble of an engine coming up the drive. When they came to the front of the house, Waverly recognised her aunt’s old truck, incongruous against the grandeur of the house, pulling to a stop. She couldn’t stop herself from running over, reaching the truck just as her mother jumped down and caught her in a hug. 

“Mama!” she cried, feeling the hot prick of tears at seeing her mother for the first time in months. 

“Oh, my baby girl, I have missed you,” she whispered, pulling her tightly to her. Waverly held on for a moment longer before she remembered that she had told Rosita that her mother had only been gone for a few days. 

She pulled back to look at her mother, seeing her own tears mirrored in her eyes, and said, “I’m so glad you’re here.” 

She glanced over her shoulder to see Willa approaching, with Rosita, scribbling in her notebook, and Doc following behind. She stood back to let her mother greet Willa, and went to the other side of the truck to hug her aunt Gus. Willa was significantly less excited to see their mother than Waverly was, but made a good pretence of greeting her warmly. As the introductions were being made, Ward appeared at the door and Waverly saw the exact moment her mother caught sight of him. Her posture stiffened and her smile dropped for just a second before she fixed it and walked over to Ward. He greeted her with a kiss on the cheek and said, loud enough for everyone to hear, “Welcome back, darling. We missed you.” 

As they were fetching bags from the truck to carry inside, another car sped up the drive and stopped with a crunch of gravel. Waverly’s stomach dropped when she saw the familiar green Mercedes G Class, windows down and Nicole behind the wheel. 

Wynonna hopped out of the passenger side and hurried over, calling, “Hey Mama.” 

Waverly looked back to where Nicole still sat in the car, and received an apologetic smile in return. Waverly jumped slightly at her mother’s voice just behind her, saying, “Nicole Haught! When did you get back?” 

“Hey Michelle,” Nicole smiled, raising her hand in an awkward wave. 

“You get out of that car and say hello properly.” After a slight hesitation, she climbed out of the car and went to hug Michelle. She turned to Ward and held out her hand, “Sir.” 

“Nicole. It’s nice to see you. I didn’t know you were back.” 

“Just a few days ago. I was just catching up with Wynonna.” 

Waverly felt like she was holding her breath as the scene played out in front of her. Her family had always liked Nicole, even her hard-to-please father. It was strange, yet at the same time natural, to see her amongst her family again. Remembering that they had company, Waverly chanced a glance at Rosita and saw that she was closely observing the interactions with interest. 

She turned back just in time to hear her father say, “You’ll join us for dinner, Nicole?” 

“Oh, thanks, but I really shouldn’t, I have to-” 

“Nonsense. We haven’t seen you for two years, you’re staying for dinner,” he said in a tone that invited no argument. 

“I guess I’m staying for dinner then,” she chuckled weakly, looking quickly over at Waverly. 

As everyone was heading inside, Waverly caught up to Ward and said quietly, “Daddy, Perry is coming over for dinner tonight too.” 

“I know. There’s plenty for everyone.” 

“I just meant, with Nicole as well...” 

“We’ll sit them away from each other if that’s what you’re worried about,” he told her and walked on ahead. Waverly’s shoulders drooped as she let out a big sigh. 

“I’m sorry, Waves,” Nicole said quietly from behind her. 

“You weren’t supposed to be here,” Waverly said without looking at her. 

“I was only dropping Wynonna off. Just bad timing.” 

Waverly finally met her eye and felt that familiar pull at the crooked smile she gave her. “It always is,” she replied, and walked away before Nicole could answer.

It was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments and kudos on chapter one, and for coming back for chapter two! I hope you continue to enjoy the story. Thanks also to Lucky for car input.
> 
> I'm on Twitter @HaughtToScot for any Katharine Hepburn/Cary Grant related chat (and anything WE, I guess...)


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back after an unintentional week off because, well, life gets messy sometimes. I'm (hopefully) back on track for Wednesday updates from next week.
> 
> Also, not sure if anyone watched it, but that season four premiere!

Waverly perched on the edge of the chair, clutching her glass in her hands as she took in the scene around her. Nicole sat on the sofa opposite, between Wynonna and Michelle, all laughing together at whatever story Nicole was telling. Ward and Doc were by the bar in the corner, preparing another round of drinks, and Willa had claimed Rosita’s attention, drawing her into a conversation about the painting that Wynonna had attributed to Waverly. The only person sitting quietly other than Waverly was Gus. When Waverly caught her eye, her aunt tilted her head towards the rest of the group and rolled her eyes, making Waverly smile. She had always enjoyed her aunt’s company, her straightforward attitude and lack of airs and graces a welcome change from what Waverly was used to. Growing up, Wynonna in particular had spent a lot of time with Gus, and her influence was clear. 

It was strange to have all of her family together in the same room again, and even more disconcerting to see Nicole slipping so easily back into her old place with them. It brought back so many memories of times they’d spent together, and Waverly couldn’t help but think that she’d never seen Perry interacting with her family like that.  _ That’s not a bad thing, _ she reminded herself. Nicole was in her past, and Perry was her future. 

At that, the doorbell sounded and she jumped up immediately to answer it. She pulled open the door to reveal Perry, smartly dressed as always in his suit. “Hi honey,” she said brightly, stepping forward to greet him, and he kissed her on the cheek. 

“Hi sweetheart. What’s this?” he asked, indicating the glass she still held. 

“Oh, pre-dinner drinks. Daddy insisted we’re celebrating,” she told him, ushering him inside. 

“What’s the occasion?” 

“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but there’s a wedding this week,” she teased, “and Mama and Aunt Gus arrived. So did the magazine people.” 

“They did? I should go and introduce myself,” Perry decided, following the voices to the living room before Waverly could tell him who else had arrived. She heard the murmur of conversation stop as he entered the room, and hurried in behind him. 

“Perry’s here,” she announced, too late as everyone was already looking at him. Ward quickly took over, introducing him to Rosita and Doc before Perry greeted her mother and aunt. He stopped short when he saw Nicole, frowning before he caught himself and said, “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Perry Crofte.” 

Nicole stood up to shake his hand and smiled, “Good to meet you. I’m Nicole. Old family friend.” 

“I know,” he replied, glancing at Waverly. 

“Ah. Well, congratulations... on the wedding.” 

“Thank you,” Perry replied stiffly. Feeling everyone looking at them, Waverly took him by the arm and led him over to the bar, saying, “Let’s get you a drink.” 

As the conversation around them began to pick up again, Waverly busied herself making a drink for Perry and asked him about his day. He answered without his usual enthusiasm and she could see that his attention was elsewhere. 

“Is something wrong?” she asked quietly. 

“I’m just thinking, shouldn’t we be talking to Rosita and John Henry?” 

“I’ve spent most of the day with them. I want to spend time with you,” Waverly told him, leaning into his side. He pressed a kiss to her temple then said, “They are here for us, though. It would be rude not to.” 

“Fine,” she replied with an exaggerated sigh, “let’s rescue Rosita from Willa.” 

They walked over to join them and Waverly was sure she caught a flash of relief on Rosita’s face at the interruption. They steered the conversation away from the art collection towards wedding preparations instead, and Rosita asked, “What about your honeymoon plans? Somewhere exotic?” 

“Eventually. We’ve had to postpone our honeymoon for a couple of months,” Waverly replied, and Perry added, “This is a very busy time for my business so unfortunately I can’t afford the time away right now. I’ve promised to make it up to my wife though.” Waverly smiled as he gave her shoulders a squeeze. It had been a disappointment when their honeymoon was postponed, but she reasoned that it gave them something else to look forward to. 

Rosita asked Perry another question about his business and he launched into an explanation with renewed enthusiasm. Waverly tried to stay engaged in the conversation but she couldn’t help but sneak glances over to where Nicole still sat with Wynonna and Michelle. Their conversation seemed to be more interesting, with a lot of laughter. Nicole looked up just as Waverly glanced over and when they locked eyes, she offered a small smile, which Waverly returned before looking away. When she next looked back a few moments later, Nicole met her eye again, and this time, she winked. Waverly tutted and shook her head, unaware that she’d done so until Perry spoke up, “Honey?” 

She turned back to see Perry, Willa and Rosita all looking at her expectantly. “Oh, sorry. My mind was elsewhere for a second there. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” 

Perry continued with his story and Waverly fixed her attention on him, but she was sure she could still feel Nicole’s eyes on her. When she risked a glare in her direction, she received another grin in return.  _ Impossible as ever _ , Waverly thought. 

The conversation flowed throughout dinner, and Waverly didn’t know if she was more disappointed or relieved that Wynonna had more or less given up on her act and reverted back to her usual self. Waverly felt on edge, she couldn’t relax and enjoy the meal as everyone else seemed to. She knew that Rosita and Doc were observing everything the family was saying and doing, and she’d noticed Perry shooting disapproving looks at Nicole. 

The next time he did it, when Nicole was talking to Ward about sailing, Waverly patted his thigh under the table. He looked at her questioningly, and she whispered, “Stop doing that.” 

“Doing what?” 

“You know what,” she replied, inclining her head towards Nicole discreetly. He flushed a little but shook his head, turning his attention back to the conversation. When there was a lull, he asked, “So Nicole, what is it that you do?” 

“Well, I’ve been away for a while, so I guess I’m between jobs at the moment,” she told him. Waverly, seeing that everyone was now paying attention, hoped that would satisfy Perry, but he continued, “Ah, so you have actually had a job?” 

“Perry!” Waverly admonished, embarrassed. 

“Just a question,” he said, holding up his hands. 

“It’s okay Waves,” Nicole told her, and Perry grimaced at her use of the nickname. “I’ve had a few jobs actually. Had a paper route once,” she smiled easily, and Wynonna exclaimed, “Oh, I remember that!” She then launched into a story about it that had everyone laughing but left Perry scowling down at his plate. 

When they’d finished dinner, Waverly was the first to rise to start clearing dishes. Nicole stood too, saying, “Let me help with that.” 

“No, it’s fine. You’re a guest,” Waverly replied, keen to avoid being alone with her. 

“I’ll help,” Perry said immediately, standing up and taking the plates from Waverly’s hands. His behaviour was grating on Waverly but she didn’t want to make a scene so she accepted his help and insisted that everyone else leave them to it. When she was sure that they were alone, she rounded on Perry. 

“What was that about? Why were you so rude to Nicole?” 

“I wasn’t rude, I was just taking an interest. All I know about her is that she is your ex.” 

Waverly chose to ignore that pointed comment and replied, “You tried to embarrass her in front of everyone, trying to get her to admit she’s never worked.” 

“People like her wouldn’t be embarrassed to admit that,” Perry scoffed. 

“People like her?” Waverly questioned. 

“The idle rich, born to privilege, who’ve never had to work for anything.” 

“People like me, you mean?” Waverly knew that Perry, as proud as he was of the fortune he’d made through hard work, still had something of a complex about his status compared to her family’s, but he had never verbalised it so clearly before. 

“Of course not, you know I don’t see you like that at all,” he backtracked, surprised at her words. 

“I’ve never had to work, and I don’t have a job,” she pointed out. 

“But you’re different. You have your degrees, and your volunteer work, you give so much of your time to help people. You will do great things,” he told her sincerely, taking her by the shoulders and crouching a little to meet her gaze. 

She lowered her head, unwilling to let him off so easily, but he moved with her, ducking down until finally she smiled at him. “That’s better. I’m sorry, okay? I love you.” 

“I’m sorry too, that I wasn’t able to give you a heads up that Nicole was here. It took us all by surprise.” 

“That’s okay. She’s not coming to the wedding, is she?” 

“Of course not. I think she’ll keep her distance after this,” Waverly told him with more conviction than she felt. 

They finished cleaning up in companionable silence before rejoining everyone else. Waverly steered Perry to a seat as far from Nicole as possible, and when he was deep in conversation with her father and Doc, she went to join her mother. Waverly felt like she’d hardly had a chance to speak to her with everything else that was going on, but she was content for the moment just to sit with her and enjoy the fact that she was back. As hard as she tried to focus on her mother though, she was constantly aware of Nicole’s presence. She could hear her talking with Wynonna and Willa, and it took all her effort not to look over, or to join them. 

Perry was the first to leave, and once he had said his goodbyes, Waverly walked him out to his car. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Are you looking forward to the party?” she asked. 

“Yes, but not as much as I’m looking forward to the wedding. I just have a few meetings in the morning then I’ll be right over,” he promised. 

“Of course. Wouldn’t want something as minor as a wedding to get in the way of work,” Waverly was only half joking. 

“See, this is why you’re so perfect. Who else would be so understanding?” 

After they’d said goodbye, Waverly watched until his car had disappeared from sight. She couldn’t face going back inside quite yet; the scrutiny of Rosita and Doc, the tension between her parents and the very presence of Nicole was overwhelming. Instead, she walked over to the trees at the top of the driveway and sat down underneath one of them. She leaned back against the rough bark of the trunk and stared up into the canopy of leaves, trying to clear her mind and enjoy the first quiet moment that she’d had all day. Her peace was interrupted just a few moments later when she heard the front door open, and she knew instinctively who it was. Her guess was confirmed when she saw Nicole emerge, and she sat still and quiet in the hope that she wouldn’t notice her. Of course, the world being against her that day, Nicole spotted her immediately and headed over, a smile lighting up her face. A smile that used to make Waverly’s stomach flip every time, but now had no effect on her.  _ None at all, _ Waverly told herself firmly. 

“There you are,” Nicole said when she stood in front of her. 

“What are you, the search party?” Waverly asked. 

“No, I was just about to leave actually.” 

“Well, don’t let me stop you”. Ignoring her, Nicole dropped down onto the grass next to her, close enough that Waverly could feel the warmth radiating from her. “What a beautiful night,” Nicole observed. 

When Waverly didn’t reply, she tried again. “I am sorry about tonight. I really didn’t have any intention of even seeing anyone, I was just dropping Wynonna off.” 

Waverly sighed. “I believe you. It’s hard to say no to my dad.” 

“Yeah, that’s one thing that hasn’t changed. It was really good to see everyone though.” They sat in silence for a moment before Nicole spoke up again, “So, Perry, huh?” 

“What about Perry?” Waverly said, already feeling defensive. 

“He seems nice. A little... uptight, maybe.” 

“He’s not uptight. He’s driven, and ambitious. Unlike some people,” Waverly said pointedly. 

Nicole put a hand to her chest dramatically and laughed, “You wound me, Waves. Have you been talking to my parents?” 

Waverly felt a stab of guilt; although Nicole was joking, she knew it had long been an issue between her and her parents. It was something they had argued about before too. “There’s nothing wrong with being serious about your business. He wasn’t born with the privileges we’re used to, he’s worked his butt off to get where he is. He’s never had anything handed to him.” Waverly was suddenly aware that she was echoing the words Perry had used earlier. 

“He certainly never had a sense of humour handed to him,” Nicole muttered. 

“You don’t get to talk about him like that, you don’t even know him,” Waverly burst out. “He’s loyal, and good-hearted, and he appreciates me.” 

“You’re right,” Nicole said, nodding thoughtfully, “those are great traits, in a pet dog.” 

Annoyed, Waverly made to stand up, only to be stopped by a hand on her arm. “Waverly, wait. I’m sorry,” she said sincerely. 

Waverly deliberated for a moment then sat back down to hear her out. 

“I was joking. You know I have a tendency to do that.” Waverly huffed in response, and she continued, “That was uncalled for, and I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry.” 

“Fine. Just, lay off him, okay?” 

“Promise.” 

After a beat, Waverly asked the question that had been on her mind since she’d seen Nicole the night before. “Why did you come back?” 

“I missed home. It felt like time,” she shrugged. 

Gathering her courage, not sure if she actually wanted to know the answer, Waverly asked, “Was it time because you knew I was getting married?” 

“No,” Nicole answered immediately, then amended, “well, a little, but not for what you might think.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I didn’t come back to try to disrupt the wedding, or to try to talk you out of it, or anything like that. I just, I guess I just wanted to make sure that you were happy.” 

“Oh,” was all Waverly could say. She stared at her hands in her lap, trying to come up with a response, until Nicole asked softly, “And you are?” 

Waverly looked up to meet her gaze, “I am.” 

Nicole gave her a small smile and a nod. “Good.” She pushed herself up to standing and started to walk away, calling back over her shoulder, “See you, Waves.” 

Waverly stared after her, bewildered at the sudden shift in her demeanour, and sat there for a while after she had left. By the time she made it back inside, the party was breaking up and everyone was heading to bed. 

She said goodnight to the others, but before she got to her bedroom, her mother caught up with her and asked to speak to her. They went into Waverly’s room, Michelle looking around to see if anything had changed since she’d been gone, and Waverly asked, “What did you want to talk about?” 

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay. We didn’t really get to talk earlier.” 

“Oh, I’m fine. Tired, and a bit overwhelmed I guess,” Waverly sighed, going to sit on her bed. Michelle joined her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. “Are you sure? I expected you to be full of excitement about the wedding, but you seem a bit... withdrawn.” 

Waverly rested her head on her mother’s shoulder. “Today has just been a lot. It’s so good to see you and Gus, but then there’s Rosita and Doc...” 

“And Nicole?” 

“And Nicole. As long as tomorrow doesn’t bring any more surprises, I’ll be fine. I am excited about the wedding.” Waverly sounded unconvincing even to herself. 

Michelle gave her a squeeze before she stood up. “Okay. I’ll let you get to bed. It’s so good to see you, Waverly.” 

“I’m so happy you’re back too, Mama,” Waverly smiled. 

Just as she was about to climb into bed, there was a knock at the door. “What is it?” she called, irritated at the further interruption. 

Wynonna came into the room and closed the door behind her. “That’s no way to talk to your favourite sister.” 

“I’m tired, Wynonna. What’s up?” 

“Just checking you’re okay.” Wynonna flopped onto her bed. 

“You too? I’m fine,” Waverly insisted. 

“Did you talk to Haught?” 

“Briefly. Long enough for her to be rude about Perry.” 

Wynonna snorted. “She’s always been a good judge of character.” Waverly shoved at her shoulder. 

“Not helpful, Wynonna.” 

“What did she say about him?” 

“Why, so you can pile on too?” 

“Nah, she probably just called him boring and judgey.” 

“If you came in here to insult my fiancé, can you just leave?” Waverly snapped. 

“Come on sis, you know I’m joking. Did she tell you why she came back?” 

“She said she felt it was time. And... she wanted to make sure I was happy,” Waverly added. 

“That’s what she told me too. She’s not here to try to break up the wedding, or to win you back.” 

“She made sure I knew that too.” 

Wynonna hesitated, then asked, “Would it work if she was?” 

“Wynonna! I’m about to marry Perry, how can you ask that?” Waverly was shocked.

“You didn’t answer the question. I’m just saying, it’s not too late if you’re having any doubts.” 

“I have no doubt that I’m not having this conversation. Now can I please go to bed?” 

“Okay babygirl, you know best.” Wynonna ruffled her hair before she got up and left the room, leaving Waverly to switch off the light and crawl under the covers. 

As soon as she closed her eyes, an image of Nicole smiling at her came into her mind. She huffed in frustration, burying her face in her pillow. For two years, she’d hardly heard Nicole’s name mentioned, and now that she’d reappeared, it felt like Wynonna and her mother were trying to push her towards her.  _ Not going to happen _ , she thought,  _ just a few more days and I’ll be married _ . For the second night in a row, however, Nicole occupied Waverly’s thoughts and ran through her dreams too. 

************************************************************************************************************** 

Waverly woke early in the morning and was immediately wide awake, head filled with thoughts of the day ahead. Resigned to not getting any more sleep, she got up and dressed for a swim, thinking that the exercise might clear her head. She made it through the house without seeing anyone, but she jumped in surprise when she stepped onto the patio and someone greeted her. Gus, accustomed to rising early at the homestead where she lived, sat on a bench with a cup of coffee. 

“Oh, Gus, I didn’t expect anyone else to be up. Good morning,” she greeted her aunt. 

“Thought this might be the only minute’s peace I’d get today. What are you doing up so early?” 

“Same, kinda. I couldn’t get back to sleep so I thought a swim might be a good idea.” 

“Then don’t let me stop you,” Gus smiled. 

Waverly continued through the garden to the pool, where she deposited her towel and robe on a lounger and kicked off her slides. She stepped onto the diving board and, taking a deep breath, dived smoothly into the water. The shock of the cold caught her breath but she soon recovered and began to swim lengths. She felt the familiar pull in her muscles and the regular, repetitive motion of strokes and breathing had the desired effect of focusing her mind. She had just surfaced, holding onto the side as she idly kicked her legs, when she heard footsteps coming towards the pool. A moment later, Nicole appeared, carrying an oddly shaped parcel. 

“Hey Waves,” she smiled, pushing her sunglasses up onto her head. 

“What are you doing here?” 

“I just wanted to drop this off,” she said, placing the parcel on the poolside next to Waverly, “I didn’t expect anyone to be around this early, but Gus sent me out here.” 

Waverly started to push herself out of the water, but Nicole stopped her. Not before she glanced quickly down at her body, Waverly noticed. 

“Don’t get out, it’s fine. I’ll go.” 

Waverly settled back into the pool, hooking her elbows over the edge. 

“Wait. You don’t have to go, when you made the effort to come over so early.” 

Nicole smiled easily, “It wasn’t much of an effort, I’m still an early riser.” 

Waverly was well aware of that; apart from the long, lazy mornings they spent together in bed... Shaking her head to rid herself of that image, Waverly reached for the parcel and asked, “Is this a wedding gift?” 

“Sort of. I’m not sure if Perry will like it, but I wanted you to have it.” As she spoke, Nicole toed off her shoes and began rolling her pants legs up. 

“Should I open it?” Waverly asked. 

“If you like.” Nicole sat on the edge next to Waverly and let her legs dangle in the water. Waverly deliberated for a moment before curiosity got the better of her and she started to unwrap the gift. 

As the paper fell away and the wooden model sailboat was revealed, Waverly gasped. “Is this..?” she started. 

“It’s the True Love,” Nicole confirmed, watching Waverly closely as she examined every part of the replica. Waverly felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her at the sight of the boat. She and Nicole had spent countless hours on board the real True Love, sometimes taking off for weeks at a time. Some of her happiest memories involved that boat. 

She placed it carefully into the water and watched as it bobbed gently. “It’s beautiful. Thank you,” she said. 

“You’re welcome. I hoped you’d like it. It might seem a strange thing for a wedding gift, but...” Nicole suddenly seemed a bit flustered. Waverly reached out to touch her hand where she gripped the edge of the pool. 

“I love it.”

Nicole looked down at their hands, then back at Waverly. “Good.” 

After a beat, Waverly said, “She was a perfect boat, wasn’t she?”

“She was, quick and well balanced, everything a boat should be.” 

“Where is she now?” Waverly asked. 

Nicole shrugged, looking down at her feet. “I was thinking about selling her, actually.” 

“What? No! You can’t sell the True Love,” Waverly protested. 

“I’ve sailed her a bit, but it’s just not the same without...” Nicole gestured between them, “And it was only comfortable for two people. Unless you want her?” 

The thought of the True Love without Nicole saddened Waverly, and she shook her head. “No, no I don’t want her.” 

“Then I’ll sell her. I’m designing a new one anyway, more suitable for me.” 

Waverly looked at her in surprise. “You’re designing a boat?” 

“It’s kind of my job now. Despite what you may have thought, I didn’t bum around for two years, I studied and trained.” 

“Why didn’t you say? You told Perry you were between jobs.” 

“It’s what he expected, I didn’t want to disappoint him.” 

Waverly shook her head. “You’re insufferable.” 

“Yeah, you might have mentioned that once or twice.” 

“Well, it’s true. I wasn’t sure I’d ever see the day that you settled to a career,” Waverly admitted. 

“Maybe I’m not the same person I was two years ago. Maybe neither of us are,” Nicole said seriously, holding Waverly’s gaze. Waverly couldn’t seem to look away from her warm brown eyes; the pull between them was almost physical. 

She cast around for something to say, finally stuttering out, “Are you, uh, are you coming to the party tonight?” 

Nicole leaned back, eyebrows raised. “Your dad invited me last night but I wasn’t going to come. I didn’t think you’d want me there.” 

Despite every instinct telling her not to, Waverly found herself saying, “No, you should come.”  _ What are you doing _ , she silently asked herself. Bonding with Nicole and inviting her to a party the night before her wedding was the last thing she should be doing. 

“Then I’ll come,” Nicole smiled at her. She reached down to where the boat had come to rest against the side, and pushed it back towards Waverly. 

Just then, they heard footsteps coming their way and turned in time to see Perry approach. He looked surprised, then suspicious when he saw Nicole there. 

“Oh, hi, Perry,” Waverly said brightly, trying not to look guilty.

“Good morning. What’s going on here, a pool party?” he asked, looking between Waverly and Nicole, who had stood up. 

“Nicole just dropped by with a gift for us,” Waverly explained, and Nicole continued, “And now I have to go. Nice to see you, Perry. Bye, Waves.” She picked up her shoes and walked off, not looking back as she disappeared from sight. 

“Why is she still hanging around?” Perry asked, frowning. 

“I told you, she was dropping off a gift. I didn’t expect to see you this morning,” Waverly tried to change the subject. 

“I thought I’d come to see you before I went to work. I didn’t expect someone to beat me to it.” Perry stopped just short of pouting, and Waverly had to refrain from rolling her eyes. 

She pulled herself up out of the pool and wrapped herself in her robe. “Thank you for coming over, it was sweet of you.” 

“That’s okay. Is this the gift?” he asked, indicating the boat. 

“It is,” Waverly nodded, bending down to lift it out of the water. 

“Aren’t we a bit old for toys?” 

“It’s not a toy, it’s... never mind. It’s just something Nicole thought I’d like.” Waverly didn’t feel like explaining the significance of the gift to Perry; she didn’t want to share those memories with him. 

“I didn’t know you liked boats so much. You’ve never mentioned sailing.” 

“I haven’t sailed for a couple of years. Never mind that, how about a coffee before you have to go?” Waverly suggested. 

He looked at his watch and shook his head. “I can’t, I don’t have time. Don’t want to be late for my meeting.” 

“Of course not. I’ll see you before the party then.” 

When she’d seen him off, she collected the boat from where she’d left it in the garden. Bypassing the room where the gifts were being stored, she took it upstairs to her bedroom instead, where she propped it on a chair, her gaze returning to it time and again as she got ready for the busy day ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, friends, I appreciate the comments and kudos. (and for those familiar with The Philadelphia Story, sorry I dropped the yar).
> 
> Give me a shout on Twitter if you feel like it: @HaughtToScot


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if anyone is here to read this... has anyone recovered from episode 402 yet? 
> 
> For those of you familiar with The Philadelphia Story, this is where you'll find parts lifted almost entirely from the original, and parts that really aren't - I hope it's not too jarring!

By the time Waverly ventured downstairs, the house and garden were a hive of activity. The garden was full of people carrying tables and chairs into the tent, and making final adjustments to the area set up for the ceremony. Inside, most of her family seemed to be rushing around, checking on arrangements, making phone calls and generally making Waverly feel ever more stressed. 

She felt adrift in the midst of it all; at a loss for something to do when her father and Willa had taken it upon themselves to supervise everything. Michelle, who had been absent for most of the wedding planning, was busy familiarising herself with everything that was going on. Gus was with Michelle, mostly acting as a buffer between her and Ward, while Wynonna was nowhere to be seen. 

Waverly had just walked through the kitchen for the third time when Willa grabbed her. “Why are you wandering about?” 

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. Everyone else is busy but it doesn’t look like there’s anything to be done,” Waverly explained. 

“You don’t have to do anything, just relax. Everything’s under control,” Willa tried to reassure her. 

“I can’t relax, there’s too much going on. I feel like I should be doing something for my own wedding.” 

Willa thought for a moment. “Well, there is something you could do. Daddy’s suit needs to be picked up in town.” 

“I guess I could... but shouldn’t I stay here in case I’m needed?” Waverly asked doubtfully. 

“You won’t be away for long. It might do you good to have a break from all this,” Willa pointed out. 

Waverly realised her sister was probably right, being there was only making her feel both stressed and useless. “Okay, yes. I’ll go now.” 

“Why don’t you take Rosita with you?” Willa suggested, and Waverly frowned. “I don’t think that’s going to help me destress.” 

“It will stop her poking around here though. She’s watching Daddy and Mama like a hawk, waiting for any slip up.” 

Waverly didn’t particularly want to spend any time alone with Rosita, but as Willa pointed out, it was the best way to keep her from the obvious tension between her parents. “Okay, fine,” she sighed, “where is she?” 

“In the garden.” 

Waverly found her sitting on the patio, pen in hand and notebook open in front of her as she watched Ward and Michelle standing over by the tent. Rosita readily agreed to Waverly’s suggestion of going with her, and once she’d gathered her things, she followed her round to the garage. 

“Where’s Doc? Maybe he could come too,” Waverly suggested. 

“Your sister offered to show him some things to photograph.” 

“Wynonna?” When Rosita nodded, Waverly winced. “That’s what I was worried about. I hope Doc is prepared.” 

“He didn’t look too concerned,” Rosita laughed. 

While Rosita waited on the driveway, Waverly climbed into her red Mercedes SL and carefully manoeuvred out of the garage. She pulled up next to Rosita, who was shaking her head and smirking, and leaned over to open the door for her. As she climbed in, Waverly heard her mutter, “Of course.” 

“I take it you like my car?” Waverly asked brightly. 

“It’s exactly what I expected you to drive,” Rosita replied, her tone neutral. 

When they turned out of the driveway, Waverly put her foot down and sped along the country road. She glanced over to see Rosita gripping the door, her hair whipping around her face in the breeze. That only encouraged Waverly and she didn’t slow down until they reached the outskirts of the city and hit traffic. While they were waiting for a light to change, Rosita spoke for the first time since they’d left. 

“I know you’re not keen on having us here, but can you try not to kill me on the way back?” 

“Don’t worry, I could drive those roads blindfolded,” Waverly boasted, and Rosita retorted, “It felt like you were.” 

Waverly studied her for a moment, trying to decide what to say. She knew she should stick to her father’s plan and not give her any ammunition for a story, but suddenly she was tired of the pretence. “You don’t like us much, do you?” she asked. 

“Does that matter? Do you need me to like you?” 

Waverly was taken aback at Rosita’s question. “Well, no. I don’t really care,” Waverly sounded unconvincing even to herself. 

“You just want a nice story written about your family, right?” 

“I don’t want a story written about my family at all, I just wanted to have my wedding in peace.” 

Rosita’s expression softened a little. “Yeah, I get that. We’re just doing the assignment we were given.” 

“Do you enjoy it? Is this the kind of assignment you want to do?” Waverly was genuinely curious. 

“I want to write. This gives me the opportunity to do that.” 

“But there’s so many other things you could write, why choose something like this?” 

“It may be a foreign concept to you, but some of us have to make money to get by,” Rosita said drily. 

Waverly felt her face flush with embarrassment. As much as she liked to think that she saw beyond status and privilege, sometimes she was forcibly reminded of how unusual her own background was. 

They drove on in awkward silence until they reached the store, and when they’d parked, Waverly asked, “Are you coming in?” 

“Are you trying to sneak away?” 

Waverly rolled her eyes. “Fine, come on then.” 

When they were waiting in the store for the suit to be brought to them, Waverly was acutely aware of Rosita taking note of the way the assistants fussed over her. Once back in the car, Rosita asked, “Is that the kind of treatment you always get in stores?” 

“No,” she replied quickly, then reconsidered, “well, sometimes. It’s not that weird though.” 

“They offered you a glass of champagne as soon as you walked in, and someone carried the bag to the car for you,” Rosita pointed out. 

“Okay, that might have been a little much,” Waverly conceded. “So will this make it into your piece about the spoiled, privileged world of the Earps?” 

“I don’t know whether to lead with this or with you and your sister’s performance yesterday.” 

“Performance?” Waverly feigned innocence. 

“The painting, the accomplishments, the singsong? Very convincing.” 

Waverly knew that Rosita hadn’t bought their act but wasn’t sure how to respond. “Just trying to have a little fun,” she shrugged. 

“At our expense?” 

She didn’t know how to explain that it was more an act of rebellion against her father than a deliberate attempt to ridicule them. “We maybe took it a bit too far. Just one more thing you can judge us on.” 

“As if you didn’t judge Doc and I the minute we walked in the door,” Rosita scoffed. 

“That’s not fair,” Waverly protested, “I wasn’t judging you.” 

“Really? You thought we’d be fooled by that show. You didn’t think either of us would be cultured enough to recognise a million dollar painting. And you’re obviously judging me on my job.” 

Again, Waverly was at a loss for an appropriate response; she felt the truth of Rosita’s words. “Look, this whole thing has thrown me for a loop. I didn’t even know my wedding was being covered for a magazine until two days ago. So much has happened in the last few days that I barely know what I’m doing,” she admitted. 

“I’m not deliberately trying to add to any of that, I just need to do my job. I know how you feel about that but maybe we can try not to get too much in each other’s way?” Rosita suggested. 

“I think I can deal with that,” Waverly managed a smile. 

The rest of the drive back was mostly quiet, and a little slower, as Waverly mulled over their conversation. Being called out on her behaviour made her realise how infrequently that happened; not many people in her life challenged her in that way. 

When they arrived back at the house, more vehicles were parked in the driveway and Waverly had to manoeuvre around them to get into the garage. 

“More deliveries for tomorrow?” Rosita asked, indicating the vans in front of the house. 

“Probably catering for tonight,” Waverly told her. 

“Right, the pre-wedding party. So why the big party instead of a rehearsal dinner?” 

“It’s an Earp family tradition, and,” dropping her voice to imitate her father, “Earp family traditions must be upheld.” 

“Yeah, I’m seeing that. There’s a lot of value placed on the Earp name, isn’t there?” 

“My dad thinks so. Has he told you how long the Earps have lived in Purgatory?” 

“He may have mentioned it once or twice. As did Willa,” she laughed. 

“That’s a tradition that she’s carrying on.” 

As they entered the house and walked through the main hallway, Waverly heard raised voices coming from one of the rooms off the hallway. She immediately recognised them as belonging to her parents and by the sound of it, they were having a heated argument. Without acknowledging it, Waverly ushered Rosita through to the kitchen, although she knew the writer must have picked up on what was happening. 

They found Gus in the kitchen watching as the caterers filled the fridge with trays of food for the party. She sent them out to the garden, telling them that she’d bring them lunch, and appeared ten minutes later with a platter. When she set it on the table, Waverly saw it was covered with a selection of party food. 

“Did you sneak this out of the fridge?” she asked. 

“There’s more food in there than anyone is going to eat tonight. No-one will notice a few bits and pieces missing,” Gus shrugged. 

They had just started to tuck in when Wynonna walked up through the garden, Doc trailing behind her. 

“Ooh, food!” Wynonna’s eyes lit up as she reached for the largest lobster roll. Gus pushed her arm away just before she picked it up, scolding her. “Wash your hands before you touch anything.” 

“Fiiiiiine,” she sighed dramatically, turning to walk into the house. 

Noticing her slightly dishevelled state, Waverly called after her, “Maybe pick some of those leaves out of your hair while you’re at it.” 

Wynonna’s only response was to toss her hair, and Waverly shook her head at her sister. Doc stood awkwardly by the table, face a little flushed, until Rosita said with a smirk, “I think you should probably go clean up a bit too.” 

He opened his mouth to speak then thought better of it, nodded instead and followed Wynonna inside. 

“I’m not sure whatever photos Doc got today will be appropriate for your magazine,” Waverly told Rosita. 

“He didn’t even have his camera when he came back,” Rosita pointed out, laughing. 

When they’d finished eating, Waverly and Gus cleared away the dishes and took them inside. Taking advantage of a moment alone, Waverly asked Gus, “Did something happen with my parents? I heard them arguing when we came in.” 

“Oh, something and nothing probably,” Gus said dismissively, but Waverly knew she’d say that just to reassure her. 

“Are you sure there wasn’t anything more? I don’t want them to fight.” 

“Don’t worry, they’ll keep it friendly in front of the magazine folks.” 

“I don’t care about the magazine, I just want everyone to get along, and for tonight and tomorrow to be special.” 

“They will be, darlin’, you’ll see,” Gus told her warmly, giving her shoulders a quick squeeze. 

Before rejoining the others, Waverly pulled out her phone and did a quick search of Rosita’s name. She was curious about the woman, and keen to read some of her writing. Most of the hits were for celebrity pieces from the magazine, but she also found a personal blog with links to articles and essays on a wide range of subjects. Waverly only had time to read one piece but she was impressed by the style and the amount of research that had gone into it. She bookmarked several of the other articles to read later before going back outside. 

For the rest of the afternoon, Waverly flitted between the house and the garden, watching as final touches were made to the set up for the party and the ceremony. The nervous feeling in her stomach persisted; now that the wedding was almost here, it didn’t feel quite real. Despite knowing how much preparation had gone into the day, and seeing how perfect everything looked, she still, somehow, didn’t feel ready. For months, she’d been counting down to the wedding, looking forward to being Perry’s wife, but now that it was so close... She knew it was just nerves though.  _ Nothing will go wrong, everything will be perfect, and tomorrow we’ll be married.  _

Before everyone went to get ready for the party, Ward gathered them all, including Rosita and Doc, together and poured everyone a glass of champagne. He proposed a toast to Waverly, most of which she didn’t hear as she was distracted by the obvious tension between her parents. 

Waverly drank her champagne quickly and as soon as it was polite to do so, she excused herself to start preparing for the party. She had expected Perry to arrive in the afternoon but he had sent her a short message to say he’d been held up in meetings. She hadn’t been in her room long before there was a knock at the door, which she opened to reveal Wynonna, holding an open bottle of champagne. 

“Thought you might want this,” she said, offering her the bottle. 

“I shouldn’t, it’s not really the time to get drunk.” 

“It’s exactly the time to get drunk. I think you’re gonna need it tonight.” Wynonna thrust the bottle into her hands and walked off down the hall towards her own room. 

Waverly had closed the door before realising that Wynonna hadn’t brought her a glass. She raised the bottle to her lips and took a healthy swig, coughing a little as the bubbles made their way down. She took another sip, then another; each drink went down better than the one before, calming her nerves and improving her mood. 

She sang quietly to herself as she got ready, pulling on the long turquoise dress that she’d picked out weeks before. She looked at herself in the mirror, admiring the way that the skirt swirled around her legs as she turned from side to side. Her cheeks had a rosy glow that wasn’t entirely down to make up. She was surprised when she picked up the bottle to realise that it was almost empty; she was sure she’d only had a couple of drinks. She took one last drink before deciding that it was time to make her entrance. 

As she descended the main staircase, she could hear voices from one of the open doors, but it was clear from the volume that the party hadn’t started yet. When she neared the bottom of the staircase, Perry appeared from the room to greet her, looking handsome in his black tux. 

“Hi honey,” she smiled at him, stepping off the bottom stair and walking towards him. 

“You look stunning, Waverly,” he told her sincerely, taking both of her hands. She reached up to kiss him but he pulled back after just a moment. 

“Have you been drinking?” he asked. 

“Oh, just a little champagne,” she waved her hand dismissively. 

“A little is fine, but we don’t want any hangovers tomorrow, do we?” he said with a laugh. 

“No hangovers,” she agreed. 

“Then shall we?” He offered his arm and escorted her into the room where the rest of her family had already gathered, dressed in their finest. Aware of what Perry had said, Waverly refused the offer of champagne, opting instead for a sparkling water. 

When the first guests began to arrive, Waverly and Perry moved to the hallway so they could greet everyone as they came in. After an hour, Waverly had lost count of how many people she’d spoken to, mainly friends and associates of her father, and she really wanted a glass of the champagne that everyone else had. 

“I think everyone must be here by now,” Waverly observed, casting a glance over the guests milling around. 

“I think so. Should we mingle?” Perry suggested, and Waverly agreed. “Okay. I see Judge Cryderman over there, I’m going to introduce myself,” Perry decided. 

He gave Waverly a peck on the cheek and strode off, leaving her standing alone. She made a beeline for the bar where she helped herself to a glass of champagne which she drank down quickly and took another. Making her way through the ground floor, smiling at everyone she passed, exchanging a few words here and there, she was on the lookout for one person in particular. Nicole hadn’t arrived while she and Perry were greeting everyone, but she had looked so pleased to be invited that Waverly felt sure she would show up. She finally caught sight of her, talking to Wynonna and Rosita, and Waverly was immediately worried about what they might be talking about. She really didn’t need Wynonna and Nicole recounting any stories to Rosita. She quickly grabbed another drink before she approached them, and when Nicole caught sight of her, her face lit up in a wide grin. 

“Hey Waves. You look beautiful this evening,” she complimented her, and Waverly willed herself not to blush. 

“I guess someone didn’t get the black tie memo?” she asked, indicating Nicole’s outfit: a slim-fitting dark blue suit paired with a white shirt, top buttons undone as always. Waverly couldn’t help but notice just how perfectly it fit, or how the colour complimented her red hair, artfully styled in soft waves. 

Nicole just shrugged. “That’s what happens when your invite is so last minute.” 

“That’s what happens when your dramatic return is so last minute,” Waverly shot back. 

“Touché,” Nicole laughed, tapping her glass against Waverly’s. 

“We’ve just been filling Rosita here in on all your secrets. She knows everything she needs to know about you now,” Wynonna informed her. 

“Great, I can’t wait to read all about it next week,” Waverly rolled her eyes. 

“Wait, you mean you’re going to lower yourself to read my magazine?” Rosita feigned surprise, but her tone was teasing. 

“Why did I bother coming to talk to you all?” Waverly wondered aloud. 

Wynonna turned to the bar behind them, poured a generous measure of whiskey and handed the glass to Waverly. “Because there’s hardly anyone else worth talking to, and because we have this?” 

Waverly accepted the glass and drank half of it down in one, managing not to wince at the burn. 

“Decided it is the time to get drunk?” Wynonna asked. Waverly opened her mouth to deny it then looked down at the whiskey in one hand and champagne in the other. 

“Just celebrating this momentous occasion,” Waverly told her. 

She stayed with them, talking and drinking, finding herself drawn into familiar, easy conversation with Wynonna and Nicole. She was initially aware of Rosita mostly observing, sometimes joining in, and tried to keep the conversation on safe ground. However, the more whiskey she consumed, the less concerned she became with keeping up appearances. She did notice that Rosita had been keeping pace with them drinking and hoped that she wouldn’t remember what they talked about. 

Wynonna was in the middle of loudly recounting a story about getting thrown out of a bar when Ward appeared, Perry close behind him. 

“There you are, we’ve been looking for you,” he told Waverly. 

“I’ve been right here,” she replied, suddenly aware of how much she’d had to drink. 

“You should be mingling. All of these people are here to see you.” 

She took a step away from the bar where she’d been leaning, and swayed slightly. “Okay. Come on Perry, let’s go talk to all these people neither of us really know,” she said, looping her arm through his. 

“Are you drunk, Waverly?” he asked quietly. 

“What? Pffft, no!” she insisted, then leaned closer and whispered, “Just a little.” 

Ward had observed the exchange and ushered them both out of the room, through the hallway and into another living room that was off limits for the evening. 

“Why are we in here? There’s no-one to mingle with,” Waverly said, looking around. 

“You’re not going out there talking to people when you’re drunk,” Ward’s tone was stern. 

“Oh, I’m fine. I can talk to everyone. I’m not even drunk.” Waverly chose that moment to stumble over her feet and sit down heavily on an overstuffed armchair. “That was an accident,” she said sheepishly. 

“You will stay in here for a while. I’ll get coffee and water and you’ll sober up a bit,” her father instructed. 

He came back five minutes later with a pitcher of water, a glass, a large cup of coffee and instructions to stay where she was until someone came to check on her. 

“Do I have to stay by myself?” she pouted. 

“You can’t both disappear when you still have a party full of guests. Perry will rejoin everyone.” 

They left the room, Perry giving her an apologetic look as he passed, and when the door closed behind them, Waverly threw herself back on the chair. Huffing in annoyance, she crossed her arms over her chest and propped her feet up on the table in front of her. She shifted again, picking up the coffee cup and taking a sip, but it was too hot to drink. She just wanted to get back to the party; despite her apprehension she was having fun with Wynonna and Nicole. It felt comfortable and easy, and brought back so many happy memories of times they’d spent together.  For the past two years, Waverly had blocked out most of the good memories, but since Nicole had dropped so unexpectedly back into her life, she had constant reminders. 

She only lasted five minutes before she went to the door, pulled it open and stuck her head out. Perry stood with a group of people nearby, strategically placed to watch the door, and when he saw her, he shook his head almost imperceptibly. She glared at him but retreated back into the room, closing the door behind her. 

She paced the room restlessly, mumbling to herself about the unfairness of being locked out of her own party. Deciding against trying the door again, her eyes settled on the window. It slid up easily when she tried it and when she leaned out and looked in both directions, she saw no-one. She perched on the sill and took her heels off, dropping them outside before she swung her legs clumsily out of the window and hopped to the ground. 

“Ouch,” she winced as her bare feet landed on the gravel below. She bent down to pick up her shoes and froze when she heard a voice call, “Hello?” 

A moment later, Rosita stood in front of her, looking in surprise at Waverly crouched on the ground. 

“Oh, hey,” Waverly tried to sound casual as she stood up, brushing off her dress. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Escaping. What are you doing?” Waverly countered. 

“Same.” 

“Where’s Wynonna and Nicole?” 

“Your dad is speaking to them. I left them to it. Are you going back in?” Rosita asked. 

“I can’t, they’re watching me.” 

Rosita looked puzzled at that, but chose not to press further. “Then where are you going?” 

“To get another drink.” 

“But you said can’t go inside.” 

“Ah, fudge,” Waverly scowled as she realised that was true. 

“Fudge? Seriously?” Rosita laughed. 

“Instead of laughing at me, why don’t you get us a drink and we can carry on the party away from... all that,” Waverly gestured vaguely at the house. 

Rosita considered for a moment before she nodded. “Okay. Wait here.” 

A few minutes later she returned, triumphantly holding up an almost-full bottle of whiskey. “Will this do?” she asked. 

“Perfect. You’re my hero. Let’s go.” 

Waverly led Rosita down to the pool where they settled on two loungers and passed the bottle back and forth as they talked. 

“So are you going to tell me why you were climbing out of a window during your own party?” Rosita asked. 

“My dad wanted me to sober up. I’m not allowed to talk to anyone when I’m this drunk,” Waverly explained, the whiskey loosening her tongue enough to tell the truth. 

“But you’re talking to the journalist when you’re this drunk?” 

“Are you a journalist right now? Would it be unethical to get drunk with me and then report all the secrets I spill?” Waverly asked. 

“Do you think my magazine cares about ethics? They’d love that,” Rosita said, bitterness in her tone. 

“You hate the magazine, don’t you? Why do you work for them?” 

“I told you. It pays,” she shrugged. 

“You’re a talented writer, you could work anywhere,” Waverly told her. 

“How do you know?” 

“I read some of your stuff this afternoon,” she admitted. 

“You did?” 

“Sure. I found your blog, your writing is really interesting.” 

“Yeah, well, interesting doesn’t always pay. Sometimes you have to compromise,” Rosita said defensively. 

“But it just seems like a waste of your talent,” Waverly persisted.

“I guess you know all about that.” 

“What do you mean?” Waverly frowned. 

“Two degrees and all those accomplishments, what are you doing with them?” 

“Hey now,” Waverly began to protest, then stopped as she realised she had no argument. “It’s not the same,” she finished weakly. 

“It’s exactly the same,” Rosita challenged. With no other answer to give, Waverly took a swig from the bottle and handed it back over to Rosita. 

“You know,” she mused, “Nicole and I used to argue over the fact that she never wanted to study, or work, never took anything seriously. She just wanted to travel and enjoy herself. Now she’s got a job and I’m still here living off my family.” 

“Was that why you broke up?” Rosita asked curiously. 

“One of many reasons.” Waverly hesitated. Rosita was more or less a stranger, and worse, a journalist, but she had avoided talking about Nicole for so long and suddenly she found that she really wanted to. “We were probably too young for such an intense relationship. We did a lot of travelling and Nicole didn’t want to come back, she didn’t want to settle.” 

“And you did?” 

“I wanted a bit more stability. My family wanted us to settle down and get married.” 

“Your family, or you?” 

“Nicole thought I gave in too easily to my family instead of doing what I wanted. I got frustrated that she wouldn’t commit to anything, didn’t seem to have any drive. In the end, we just wanted different things,” Waverly sighed. Giving voice to it, with the benefit of hindsight, it didn’t seem like the insurmountable obstacle it did back then. At the time though, it felt like there was no way that they could reconcile their differing plans for the future, and any attempts to do so resulted in painful fights. 

Waverly was jolted out of her haze of memories when Rosita called her name. 

“Huh? What?” 

“You zoned out there. You okay?” 

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine.” 

“Well, I obviously don’t really know either of them, but I don’t think Perry could be more different from Nicole. He’s all drive and ambition,” Rosita remarked. 

“You’re not wrong about that. He’s stable, and committed. He takes everything seriously. Sometimes too seriously, but that’s okay. He always has a plan. A little spontaneity would be nice, but that’s just who he is. I wish-“ Waverly stopped abruptly as she realised she was rhyming off a list of faults with the man she was about to marry. 

“From what you’ve said, he’s the opposite of Nicole.” 

“Yeah, he’s definitely not Nicole,” Waverly agreed thoughtfully. Realising that she’d said more than she intended and keen to change the subject, Waverly took another drink of whiskey then stood up and walked towards the pool. 

“What are you doing?” Rosita asked. 

“Being spontaneous,” Waverly replied, then took another step and jumped into the pool. The cold water took the breath from her lungs as she ducked under, and she came up spluttering, her dress floating up around her. She rubbed the water from her eyes to see Rosita crouched at the side of the pool, looking at her with concern. The combination of the alcohol and the water hit Waverly at once and she began to laugh, with no idea what she was laughing at. 

“Are you okay?” Rosita asked. 

Waverly nodded and hiccuped, which only made her giggle harder. She kicked her legs up and floated on her back, staring up at the night sky, Rosita’s voice muffled by the water. When she righted herself, Rosita was shaking her head. 

“You’re all mad,” she observed. 

Waverly paddled over to the side, the weight of her dress a hindrance, and reached for Rosita. She leaned back out of range of Waverly’s grasping hand, saying, “No way. I am not getting in the pool.” 

“Ah, come on,” Waverly tried to persuade her. 

“No. You should get out.” 

“You should get in.” 

“Waverly?” a voice called, just before Perry strode into sight and stopped dead, a shocked expression on his face. 

“Uh oh, here’s Perry,” Waverly whispered, loud enough for him to hear.

“What’s going on? Why are you in the pool?” he demanded. 

“Just having fun with my new friend,” Waverly told him with a bright smile. She turned to Rosita and, behind her hand, told her, “Perry doesn’t really like fun.” 

Perry ignored the comment and instead asked Rosita, who was biting back a smile, “What happened?” 

“She’s okay. She just jumped in. She hit the water and the whiskey hit her,” Rosita told him. 

“Stop talking about me like I’m not here,” Waverly said, looking up at them in annoyance. 

“Waverly, come out of the pool. You’ll be cold,” Perry reasoned. 

Waverly huffed a little but she couldn’t deny that she had started to shiver, so she made her way to the steps and began to climb out, her dress dragging behind her. Perry ushered her into the pool house to change into a robe, and by the time she had peeled off her soaking wet dress and wrapped herself in a robe, Nicole was with Perry and Rosita. 

“Hey, it’s Cole,” she greeted her, “how come you’re here?” 

“I was looking for you. Just checking everything is okay,” she smiled. 

“I’m fine. I got locked in a room and had to climb out the window then I got in the pool but I’m okay now.” 

Nicole and Rosita both turned to look at Perry, who flushed a little. 

“That’s not exactly what happened. Come on, it’s time to go inside.” 

“Are we going back to the party?” she asked. 

“The party is over, everyone is leaving,” he told her. 

“You made me miss my own party,” Waverly pouted. 

“I did not, you did that by getting drunk.” Perry’s tone was calm but Waverly could see he was annoyed. 

“Okay, I think it’s time we leave you to it,” Rosita said, gesturing to Nicole to go with her, but Nicole hung back so Rosita walked off alone. 

“Now you’re making everyone leave. I’m not going with you.” 

“Waverly, come on. You need to go to bed now if you want to be in any fit state tomorrow,” Perry tried to persuade her. 

“I don’t want to,” she replied petulantly, crossing her arms over her chest, stopping just short of stamping her foot. 

“Stop this. Be reasonable.” His voice was strained. 

“You be reasonable,” she retorted, and saw the muscle twitch as he clenched his jaw. 

“That’s enough, Waverly, come on inside,” he said, reaching for her hand. She twisted out of his reach and the sudden movement caused her to stumble. 

A strong hand grasped her elbow to steady her and she looked up to see Nicole next to her. “You okay?” she asked softly, and Waverly nodded, feeling a dopey grin spread across her face. 

“Time for bed, huh? I’ll walk you up to your room,” Nicole offered. 

Waverly thought about arguing some more but suddenly felt too tired. “Fine,” she grumbled, but before they could go any further, Perry held his hands up. 

“No you won’t. I’m perfectly capable of taking my fiancée to bed.” 

“I... don’t need to know about any of that,” Nicole told him as Waverly giggled quietly. 

“I didn’t mean... you know what I meant. I will walk Waverly to her room.” 

“What if someone sees you? Do you want to be caught sneaking about the house, going into Waverly’s room?” Nicole asked pointedly. 

“I’m hardly sneaking about, we’re getting married tomorrow. Although...” 

Even in her drunken haze, Waverly could tell Perry was considering how it might look to anyone else. 

“Okay, fine,” he decided, “you make sure she gets to bed straight away.” Turning to Waverly, he said, “Sleep this off. We’ll speak in the morning.” 

Without another word, he turned and walked around the side of the house, leaving Waverly and Nicole alone. 

“Come on then, I’m under orders to take you to bed.” Nicole began to gently guide Waverly to the door and inside. 

“You shouldn’t say stuff like that, Cole,” Waverly told her, but her smile betrayed her words. 

“Hey, you’re not married yet,” Nicole smiled back and Waverly ducked her head, feeling the heat in her face. 

As they started to make their way upstairs, Waverly tripped and once again, Nicole caught her. Before Waverly knew what was happening, Nicole had swept her up and continued up the stairs, carrying her bridal style. Waverly started to protest but the feeling was so reassuring that she relaxed instead, letting her head rest on Nicole’s shoulder. 

“Second door on the right,” she mumbled. 

“I know where your room is, Waves,” Nicole chuckled, and Waverly blushed again, thinking about all of the times they’d been in her room together. 

Nicole manoeuvred through the door with Waverly still in her arms, gently kicking it closed behind them. She deposited Waverly on the bed, who then stretched out her arms and legs before curling into a ball on her side. 

“Maybe you should take a shower?” Nicole suggested, still standing by the bed. 

Waverly shook her head, “Don’t want to. ‘m tired.” 

“Okay. At least put pyjamas on, your robe is wet.” 

Waverly looked up at her through a tangle of hair. “Get some for me?” 

Nicole sighed, but she was smiling. “Fine.” 

While she was rummaging in her walk in closet, Waverly stood to shed the robe, dropping it in a heap where she stood, then sat back on the bed to wait for Nicole. She walked back into the bedroom holding a bundle of clothes, saying, “I found these-”

She stopped short when she saw Waverly sitting on the bed in just her underwear, and her face flushed lightly. She tossed the clothes over to Waverly, who clumsily attempted to catch them and missed. 

“Put these on while I get a towel,” Nicole instructed, keeping her eyes averted. Waverly struggled into the shorts and tank Nicole had thrown at her, the combination of alcohol and tiredness making her limbs heavy and uncooperative. 

When Nicole came out of the bathroom, Waverly had slumped back on her bed, wet hair splayed out around her. Nicole coaxed her to sit up and sat on the bed behind her, beginning to rub her hair gently with the towel. Waverly relaxed back against her, feeling her eyes grow heavy as Nicole gently tried to work through the worst tangles. She’d always loved the feeling of someone playing with her hair, and the sensation of Nicole’s fingers running through it made her shiver. 

Nicole must have felt her reaction; her hands stilled and she moved back a little. “Sorry Waves,” she said quietly. 

“S’okay. That was nice,” Waverly told her, words beginning to slur, “you always take good care of me.” 

“Maybe not always. Maybe not as much as I should have,” Nicole’s voice was low. 

“You do. Better’n anybody,” Waverly insisted. 

“Okay, you really need to get some sleep. Come on.” 

With some encouragement from Nicole, Waverly crawled under the covers and flopped back against the pillows. Nicole stood to leave and Waverly instinctively reached out to grasp her hand. 

“Wait. Stay?” she asked hopefully. 

“Waverly...” Nicole’s expression was pained. 

“Please. Five minutes?” 

Nicole hesitated, then relented, “Fine. Five minutes.” 

Waverly patted the bed next to her, and Nicole took off her jacket before settling on the bed, leaning back against the headboard. She had left a respectful distance between them and held herself rigidly, but Waverly, acting on instinct again, wriggled closer until she was leaning against her side, head resting on her shoulder. It took a moment for Nicole to react, then she moved her arm until it was wrapped around Waverly, hand resting on the top of her arm. 

Waverly felt as well as heard her breath hitch, and she craned her neck to look up at her. “Okay?” she asked. 

Nicole nodded, not meeting her eye. “You okay?” 

“Mmm. Tired,” Waverly yawned to illustrate her point, then added, “Tell me a story.” 

“A story?” Nicole sounded amused. 

“Mmhmm. Tell me where you went for two years.” 

She felt Nicole shift a little. “There’s not that much to tell.” 

“Must be. You must have met... people.” 

“I did meet people, yes.” Nicole wasn’t giving anything away, so Waverly pushed on, suddenly needing to know. 

“Did you meet any women?” 

“We’re not doing this, Waverly.” 

“Doing what? I’m jus’ asking.” 

“Why does it matter?” 

“I jus’ wondered, if you met anyone.”  _ To replace me _ , she neglected to add. Her chest tightened at the thought of Nicole with someone else. 

“You met someone. You’re the one getting married in a matter of hours,” Nicole reminded her. 

Waverly had no answer for that; she knew she had no right to be asking Nicole these questions when she herself was about to be married. She couldn’t help herself though. “You left,” she said in a small voice, “you left and you didn’t come back.” 

Nicole shifted again, angling herself so that she was looking directly at Waverly. “Did you expect me to stay?” 

“I... don’t know.” 

“I couldn’t, not when I knew you didn’t want me,” Nicole admitted, a look of hurt clear on her face. 

Waverly swallowed hard. “It was never that I didn’t want you, I just...” 

“Didn’t want a life with me?” Nicole finished for her. 

Waverly floundered, her thoughts too muddled to come up with a reply; Nicole took her silence as agreement. “I went to give you the space that you wanted, and when I found out you’d moved on, there didn’t seem much point in coming back.” 

Before she could think about it, Waverly whispered, “I wish you had come back.” 

Nicole squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “Don’t say that.” 

“But it’s-“ 

“No,” Nicole said more firmly, “it’s not fair to say that now. Not to either of us.” 

When she opened her eyes, Waverly saw that they were bright with unshed tears. Waverly brought her hand up to cup Nicole’s jaw, stroking her thumb across her cheek. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, hoping Nicole knew how sincere she was. Nicole turned her face to Waverly’s palm briefly before pulling back and sitting up. Waverly followed her movement, eyes on Nicole’s lips as she thought about how easy it would be just to lean forward and kiss her... 

“...shouldn’t even be having this conversation,” Nicole was saying when Waverly realised she was speaking. 

“Wha...?” 

“You’re drunk, and you’re about to get married. You need to go to sleep and I need to leave.” 

“Please, just five more minutes,” Waverly didn't care that it sounded like she was pleading.

“You already said that,” Nicole told her.

“Last time, promise. Pleeeease,” Waverly stuck out her bottom lip. Nicole shook her head but her expression softened into a reluctant smile and she settled back into her previous position. She held out her arm and Waverly scooted closer again, tucking herself into Nicole’s side. She rested her head on Nicole’s chest and closed her eyes, a second wave of tiredness washing over her. It wasn’t long before the regular rhythm of Nicole’s breathing, and the familiar comfort of the position, lulled her to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I appreciate the continued support and feedback for this story, I do enjoy reading your comments :)
> 
> I'm about 80% confident that the final chapter will be up next Wednesday so you can hold me to that... (maybe).
> 
> Give me a shout on Twitter @HaughtToScot, should the fancy take you.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wedding day dawns...

Waverly cracked one eye open, immediately closing it again against the bright light. Her pillow was hot where her face was pressed against it, and her eyes felt glued shut. With a groan, she rolled on to her back and threw an arm across her face before attempting to open her eyes again. Her head was pounding, her stomach was churning and she wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. She moved to pull the blanket over her head, only to realise when the silky material hit her face that it wasn’t a blanket at all. Pushing it off, she finally forced her eyes open and saw that she’d been tucked under a dark blue suit jacket. The lingering scent of vanilla told her who it belonged to: Nicole. But why did she have Nicole’s jacket? 

Waverly tried to pull any memories out of the fog of the previous night, and had a vague recollection of being carried upstairs.  _ What the hell did I do _ , she wondered, pressing the heels of her hands against her eyes, trying to ease the thumping in her head.  _ Why did I get so drunk the night before my wedding _ ? The wedding! She bolted upright as she realised what day it was, one hand going to her head and one to her stomach as it lurched at the sudden movement. Looking at her clock, she was relieved to see that it was only just 7am, but she still had to get up and go downstairs to face everyone. 

Still groaning quietly, she forced herself out of bed and trudged to her bathroom, where she started the shower running. She looked in the mirror and winced at her reflection. Her hair was wild, one cheek was lined from her pillow and the remains of last night’s make up was smudged around her eyes. Once in the shower, she closed her eyes and tilted her face up to the stream of water, letting it cascade over her. As she slowly washed her hair, trying to ignore the nauseous feeling in her stomach, flashes of the previous night came back to her. Drinking with Wynonna and Nicole. Her escape through the window. Snippets of her conversation with Rosita. Arguing with Perry, then finally being put to bed by Nicole. The blank spaces that remained, together with the niggling feeling that something was wrong, made her anxious. She hadn’t done anything too bad, had she? She remembered Perry being shocked at finding her with Rosita, but what had they been doing? She didn’t actually beg Nicole to stay with her, did she? Whatever had happened, she knew that she had some apologies to make. 

Half an hour later, dressed in jeans and a blouse, damp hair pulled back, she made her way downstairs, steeling herself to see everyone. As she stepped into the dining room, she said, as cheerily as she could, “Good morning everyone.” 

She was surprised to see only Rosita at the table, poring over her notebook. “Relax, it’s just me,” she smiled. 

“Oh thank God,” Waverly sighed, sinking into a chair and leaning on the table. 

“You look how I feel,” Rosita observed. 

“Bright and happy and ready to get married?” Waverly asked hopefully. 

“Okay, sure,” Rosita nodded, then continued, “Look, about last night-“ 

“Oh no, what did I do?” Waverly worried, covering her face with her hands. 

“It’s okay, don’t be embarrassed.” 

“Why would I be?” 

“Good, I’m glad you’re not.” 

“No, I mean, why would I be? What did I do?” she asked again. 

“Nothing, really. You maybe said a bit more than you meant to, and Perry wasn’t happy when he found us together, but we were just hanging out.” 

“What were we talking about? Did I say or do anything inappropriate?” 

“No, you didn’t. You talked a lot about Nicole and Perry. None of it will go any further, okay?” 

Waverly felt some relief to know that nothing had happened with Rosita, and she reached over to grasp her hand. “Thank you. That’s kind of you after the way I treated you, I do appreciate it.” 

Rosita squeezed her hand back and said, “Well, I wasn’t that nice to you either so let’s call it even.” 

Waverly stood up. “Now I have to go apologise to everyone else and make sure they’re all still talking to me.” 

“I’m sure they will be. Before you do though, your aunt Gus is doing magical things in the kitchen. Hangover cures,” she indicated the glass in front of her. 

“Is there whiskey in that?” 

“Yep. She’s a miracle worker, I could barely move before I had that,” she laughed. 

As Rosita had said, Gus was in the kitchen, pouring another of her drinks for Wynonna, who hovered nearby. “Ah, she surfaces! How are you feeling?” Wynonna asked. 

“I’m great,” Waverly told her. 

“That why you’re in here for one of these?” Gus asked, handing her the glass. 

“Hey, that was mine,” Wynonna protested. 

“Oh hush Wynonna, your sister needs it,” Gus scolded. 

“Do I look that bad?” Waverly groaned. 

“One of these and you’ll be fine,” her aunt reassured her. 

“You had an eventful night, baby girl. Climbing out of windows, skinny dipping with Rosita, taken to bed by Haught,” Wynonna grinned. 

“We were not skinny dipping! How do you even know any of that, you disappeared?” 

Wynonna tapped her nose. “I have my sources. A wild last night of freedom, huh?” 

“Something like that,” Waverly mumbled. 

Wynonna’s teasing was interrupted by the arrival in the kitchen of Nicole, who looked far too bright and fresh for the morning after. 

“Morning everyone,” she greeted them all, eyes lingering on Waverly a little longer than the others. Waverly felt her stomach flip, and this time it had nothing to do with the hangover. She remembered being carried up to her bedroom, talking with Nicole, the feeling of contentment as she fell asleep in her arms. More than anything, she remembered how much she’d wanted to kiss Nicole.  _ I was drunk, and nothing happened _ , she reminded herself. 

“You in need of one of these too Nicole?” Gus indicated the bottles and glasses. 

“No thanks Gus. Just a flying visit,” she smiled. 

“Let’s see who else needs them,” Gus said, handing the glasses to Wynonna and picking up the bottles. She left the room with a nod at Nicole, a grumbling Wynonna following her. 

Waverly shifted from foot to foot, unsure of what to say, until she finally spoke, “What’s up?” at the same time as Nicole said, “Are you okay?” 

They both laughed a little, and Nicole started again. “I just came by to check that you were okay after last night.” 

“Why wouldn’t I be?” 

“Well, you had a lot to drink, and you said some things.” 

“Oh, I was just drunk, that’s all,” Waverly tried to laugh it off, “I’m fine now.” 

“And... Perry, and the wedding, all fine with that?” Nicole asked, aiming for casual but not quite managing. 

Waverly answered, a little too quickly, “Of course.” She wondered if she imagined the look of disappointment that flickered across Nicole’s face before she fixed on a smile. 

“Good, good. I just wanted to check. I’m going to take off now.” She took a step towards Waverly, then stopped. 

“You’re not sticking around?” Waverly asked, although she knew it would be better for both of them if Nicole left. 

“For the wedding? No, I don’t think I should do that. Honestly, I don’t think I could. I’m happy for you, but I can’t watch you get married.” 

Waverly felt a lump rise in her throat and didn’t trust herself to speak, so she just nodded instead. Nicole looked like she was having a similar struggle, but she said sincerely, “I hope today is everything you want it to be, Waves.” 

With one final smile, she turned and left. Waverly stood where she was, fighting the impulse to go after Nicole, to say... she didn’t even know what she wanted to say. She could hardly tell her that she wanted her to stay, just hours before she was getting married. Seeing Nicole again, reconnecting with her the last few days, had caused such turmoil that it was better just to let her leave. 

Waverly slumped onto a stool and leaned over the counter, letting her head fall onto her crossed arms. She felt the hot tears soak through her sleeve before she even realised that she was crying. She indulged it for a moment, hoping for catharsis that didn’t come, then sat up and wiped her eyes. Her mother walked into the room while she was still collecting herself, and was immediately by her side. 

“Waverly? What’s wrong?” she asked, wrapping one arm around her shoulders. 

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m fine,” Waverly told her, wiping a few stray tears from her cheek. 

“Is it Nicole? I just saw her leaving.” 

“No. Well, kind of. She was just checking that I was okay.” 

“And?” Michelle prompted. 

“And then she left. She said she couldn’t watch me get married,” Waverly sniffled. 

“Did you expect her to?” Michelle asked gently, and Waverly shook her head. “Not really. I don’t think I would even want her to.” 

“So why the tears?” 

“I don’t even know,” Waverly replied, feeling her eyes fill with tears again. Michelle pulled her into a hug, stroking a hand through her hair, and Waverly relaxed against her. 

“It’s not too late, Waverly. If you’re having any doubts this is the time to speak up.” 

Waverly pulled back and studied her mother’s face, finding only concern and affection there. “No. I’m marrying Perry today.” 

“Is it what you really want? That is the only reason you need,” Michelle assured her. 

Waverly could only nod, not trusting herself to speak, and Michelle continued, “I just don’t want you to have any regrets, because you’re trying to please other people.” 

“Do you have regrets?” Waverly turned it back on her. 

“I could never regret anything that gave me you and your sisters. I would do the same again for you.” 

“Would you do it again for you?” Waverly asked, feeling she knew the answer already. 

“I didn’t have any doubts when I married your father. I loved him, but I didn’t know what I was getting into.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“This kind of life, always having an image to live up to, a family name to uphold. It’s normal for you, but I wasn’t born to this life,” Michelle explained. 

“You’re not coming back to it, are you?” Waverly asked. She’d known as soon as she saw her parents together again. 

Michelle shook her head. “No darling, I’m not. I’m not running off again, but I’m not coming back to this house. I love you and I will always be here for you.” 

As much as Waverly wanted her family to be happy and together, she knew that her mother was making the best decision for her. “I understand. And I’m glad you’re not leaving, I missed you.“ 

“I missed you too. I’m sorry for dropping this on you now. I was going to wait until after the wedding to tell you.” 

“That’s okay. Maybe not the happily ever after story I needed today though,” Waverly tried to joke, but she realised how true that actually was. 

“I’m sorry. But think on what I said. You should be with the one who loves and accepts you just as you are, and if that’s Perry, I’m very happy for you.” Michelle kissed Waverly on the forehead and walked out of the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts again. 

She mused over what her mother had told her, about the pressure of living up to an image, and of the importance of being accepted as she was. Perry had never asked her to change anything, had never wanted her to. He had told her more than once that she was perfect, despite Waverly’s insistence that she was far from that. 

Still lost in thought, she began to walk upstairs, about to begin the long process of getting ready. Halfway up, she heard the doorbell chime and went back down to open it. Expecting it to be her hairdresser arriving to help her prepare, she was surprised to see Perry standing there, looking uncharacteristically uncertain. 

“Perry? What are you doing here?” she asked. 

“I know I shouldn’t see you before the wedding but I had to speak to you.” 

She ushered him inside and towards the closest room, but he stopped in the middle of the hallway. “Waverly, last night...” he began, and Waverly felt her stomach lurch at what he might be about to say. 

“I owe you an apology. I’m sorry for how I spoke to you when you found me,” she told him, hoping to preempt what he was going to say. 

“I have to say, Waverly, I was shocked, and disappointed. I would never have expected that kind of behaviour from you. Wynonna maybe, but not you,” he frowned. 

“Hey, don’t bring my sister into this. I had too much to drink and I got carried away, I take full responsibility.” 

“I saw a side of you I’ve never seen before. I don’t think I liked it.” 

Waverly bit back a defensive reply and waited for him to continue. When he didn’t, she spoke up, unsure of what answer she wanted, “So what does that mean? For us?” 

He took a deep breath and said, “I’m prepared to go through with it, if you promise me that nothing like this will happen again.” 

“Prepared to go through with it? You should want to marry me, not just be prepared to.” 

“I’m trying here, Waverly. You’ve really thrown me with all of this. It feels almost like I don’t know you.” 

Thinking back to what her mother had said, Waverly gathered her courage and said, “Maybe you don’t. Maybe you never did.” 

“What do you mean?” Perry looked confused. 

“You have this perfect image of me that I’ve never really lived up to.” Waverly was realising the truth of her words as she spoke. 

“That’s not true. I love you,” Perry protested, but Waverly thought she could see the doubt on his face. 

“I think you love your idea of me, of who you think I am. You’d find out eventually that I’m not that person.” 

Perry started to reply, then his shoulders slumped and he looked down at the ground. “So that’s it? I came here prepared to forgive you and you’re the one that’s dumping me?” 

“I’m sorry, Perry,” she said gently, “but I think you know it’s true. You’re a good man, but we would make each other miserable before too long.” Along with the guilt at hurting Perry and the sorrow for how things were ending, Waverly could also feel a sense of relief starting to roll over her. She had managed to convince herself as well as everyone else that the relationship was everything she wanted, but when it came to it, she just couldn’t lie to herself any more. 

“You’re right about one thing. I don’t really know you. The Waverly I know - knew,” he corrected himself, “wouldn’t have strung me along for so long.” 

All Waverly could say again was, “I’m sorry.” 

When Perry looked at her again, his expression was resigned. “Is this because of Nicole?” he asked quietly. 

“No! This has nothing to do with her,” Waverly insisted, but Perry looked unconvinced. 

“Come on. I might have been wrong about you, but I’m not stupid. You’ve been different since she came back.” 

_ Not different at all _ , she thought,  _ I’ve been me again _ . “I... don’t know what else I can say,” Waverly shrugged helplessly, knowing how insufficient her response was. 

“What else can either of us say? I’m just going to go. Bye Waverly.” He turned and walked out without looking back, the door closing quietly behind him. 

In a daze, Waverly made her way over to the staircase and sat down heavily on the bottom step. She rested her forehead on her knees, trying to process what had just happened. She was full of conflicting emotions: disbelief at how quickly her wedding had just derailed; guilt for the hurt and disappointment she had caused Perry; panic at the thought of breaking the news to everyone and dealing with the fallout of a last minute cancellation. Rising above it all though was the relief and the sense of freedom that came from finally allowing herself to speak the truth. 

She heard footsteps on the stairs and looked behind to see her sisters descending towards her. Wynonna took a seat next to her while Willa sat on her other side and slightly behind. “So... that just happened,” Wynonna said. 

“Were you listening?” Waverly asked. 

“We didn’t mean to, we were about to come downstairs when Perry came in,” Willa explained. 

“And then we stopped to listen. Are you okay, babygirl?” 

Waverly took a moment to consider her answer. “I honestly don’t know. I can’t believe that just happened.” 

“For what it’s worth, I think you did the right thing,” Wynonna told her. 

“Of course you do, you can’t stand Perry.” 

“Not true. I just knew he wasn’t right for you,” Wynonna pointed out. 

“You might have told me that,” Waverly mumbled. 

“I may have mentioned it once or twice.”

“Don’t, Wynonna,” Willa warned, and Waverly looked at her in surprise. 

“If what you said to Perry is how you really feel, then I think you did the right thing too,” Willa told her. 

“You do?” 

“Sure it might have been better to do it more than hours before the wedding, but it would have been wrong to go through with it.” 

Waverly breathed a sigh of relief; she hadn’t expected such an understanding reaction from her eldest sister. “Thank you. I don’t even know what to do now. I have to tell Mama and Daddy, and all those guests. There’s so much to cancel, flowers, food...” she trailed off with a groan as she dropped her head back to her knees. 

“Is there maybe someone else you want to tell?” Wynonna asked, eyebrows raised, and Waverly immediately knew who she meant. 

“Nicole?” 

“I know she was here to see you this morning.” 

“She just came to check that I was okay. And basically to see if the wedding was going ahead.” 

“You know that was her way of trying to find out if there any chance left for her, don’t you?” Wynonna asked. 

“I do now,” Waverly replied, thinking back to the look on Nicole’s face when she told her that the wedding was going ahead. 

“And does she have a chance?” Wynonna prompted.

Waverly could feel the tension as both of her sisters waited for her answer, an answer she didn’t even have to think about. She felt more certain about that than anything she had for a long time. She stood up quickly. “I need to tell Nicole.” 

“Yeah you do!” Wynonna cheered, as Waverly began to hurry upstairs. 

She came to an abrupt halt and said, “I don’t even know where she is.” “

You know all her places, you’ll find her,” Wynonna encouraged her. 

Waverly took another couple of steps and turned again. “I can’t leave this mess, there’s so much to do.” 

“I’ll tell Daddy. You go,” Willa urged her, and Waverly gave them both a grateful look before running the rest of the way to her room. She grabbed the few things she needed, including Nicole’s jacket, and hurried back downstairs and outside without seeing anyone. 

When she climbed into her car, she had to stop for a moment and try to calm down. Her heart was racing and her palms were sweating, a combination of nerves, anticipation and excitement coursing through her. She sat for a moment, concentrating on her breathing until she felt a little calmer, before she drove out of the garage. As she turned the curve of the drive, she saw the front door open and her father emerge, but she didn’t stop. 

She had turned onto the main road before she even thought about where she was going. It was only then that she realised she didn’t even know where Nicole was staying, with her parents or elsewhere. Wynonna had told her she’d know where to find her; Waverly ran through all of her old haunts in her head before settling on the most likely. 

Twenty minutes and an anxious drive later, she pulled up at the marina, hoping that her instinct was right. She climbed out of her car and scanned the yachts moored there, trying to spot the familiar vessel. The farthest away yacht caught her eye and she ran towards it, confirming as she got closer that it was the True Love. She skidded to a halt at the mooring, her heart skipping as she saw the boat again for the first time in years. A flash of red through a cabin window told her that Nicole was on board, but now that she was there, Waverly had no idea what to do. 

She had spent the journey there running through everything she wanted to say to Nicole, none of which she could now remember. She took a couple of hesitant steps towards the gangway before her nerve failed her and she came to a halt again.  _ What if this was a huge mistake _ ? Wynonna could have been wrong about Nicole’s feelings. 

She was on the verge of turning around when Nicole stepped out of the cabin, a bucket in one hand and scrubbing brush in the other. She had changed since Waverly saw her earlier, now dressed in shorts and an old shirt that Waverly recognised. Her hair was messy, she had a smudge on her cheek and Waverly’s breath caught in her throat at the sight of her. 

Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage and called, “Nicole?” 

The brush clattered to the deck as Nicole looked up in surprise. “Waverly?” 

Waverly approached slowly, stopping at the end of the gangplank while Nicole stood at the other end. “I um, I just, um...” she stuttered, and Nicole took pity on her. 

“What are you doing here?” 

Waverly had grabbed Nicole’s jacket before she left the car, and now she thrust it towards her. “I wanted to return this.” 

Nicole looked puzzled as she took the jacket from Waverly. “Okay... You didn’t need to do that, you know? Aren’t you a little busy?” 

“Can I?” Waverly gestured to the boat and Nicole reached for her hand, helping her across the gangplank onto the deck. Once safely onboard, Waverly didn’t let go of Nicole’s hand, instead lacing their fingers together tightly. She relished the feel of it in hers, soft and strong and warm. Taking strength from that feeling, she looked up to find Nicole staring intently at her. 

“I had to return something else of yours,” Waverly began. 

“What is it?” Nicole’s voice was almost a whisper. 

“Me,” Waverly blurted, then cringed. Everything that she wanted to say, all the feelings she needed to express, had fled, leaving her mind a blank. “Not that, I mean.... what I wanted to say.... I came to tell you-“ Waverly came to an abrupt stop, covering her face in embarrassment with her free hand. 

Nicole waited a moment then gently pulled her hand away, keeping it in her own. She ducked her head a little to meet Waverly’s eye and said gently, “Waverly, stop. It’s okay. Whatever it is, you can tell me.” 

Waverly was sure that Nicole must be able to hear her heart, it was beating so wildly in her chest. She squeezed Nicole’s hands again and managed to say, “I’m not getting married. The wedding’s off.” 

She heard Nicole take a sharp intake of breath. “What happened?” she asked. 

“I just... I couldn’t do it. I spoke to Perry, and I just knew it was a mistake,” Waverly explained, watching as Nicole’s expression softened into one of concern. 

“Are you okay?” 

“I think so,” Waverly ventured, then corrected herself. “No, I definitely am. Better than I have been for a while.” 

“Good for you.” Nicole’s smile was genuine but questions hung unasked in the air between them. 

“It is. I feel like… I’m realising that I’ve spent most of my life trying to fit what other people think I should be. I’m only now figuring out what I actually want.” 

“And what is that?” Nicole asked, the slight tremor in her voice betraying her trepidation about the answer. 

Waverly studied her face, those familiar features that had never been too far from her mind, then instead of answering, she surged forward and kissed her. Nicole, taken aback, stumbled a little and let go of Waverly’s hands, grasping her hips instead to steady herself. Waverly’s hands went to Nicole’s shoulders, moving up to cup her jaw as she kissed her with more urgency. They stumbled back until Nicole’s legs hit the bench seat and she sprawled back, Waverly following her down. 

Nicole broke the kiss first, pulling back as far as their position allowed, eyes wide and face flushed. Waverly leaned back in, desperate to continue, but Nicole held her in place with a hand on her shoulder. Feeling a mixture of embarrassment and rejection, Waverly sat back on her heels and buried her face in her hands, feeling the heat in her cheeks. 

“I’m so sorry Cole, I shouldn’t have done that. I can’t believe I just jumped you, you probably didn’t even want me to.” Her babbling was muffled by her hands. She felt warm hands wrap around her wrists and gently pull them away from her face. 

When she lifted her eyes to Nicole’s face, she was relieved to see nothing but affection and a hint of amusement. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. I was hardly complaining. Just, we should probably talk before we get carried away.” She placed a soft kiss to Waverly’s palm before letting go of her hands and pulling herself up so they were sitting face to face. “Do you want to start?” she asked. 

“I don’t even know where to start, I haven’t even caught up with myself. This isn’t exactly how I pictured today going,” Waverly told her with a wry chuckle. 

“Tell me about it,” Nicole grinned back, “so why don’t you start with what it is that you want, since you technically didn’t answer my question?” 

“I thought I was pretty clear, but since you ask again, it’s you. I want you,” she replied with certainty. 

Nicole’s face lit up in a wide smile and she leaned forward to press a soft kiss to Waverly’s lips. “Why the change of heart?” she whispered, her lips still almost touching Waverly’s. 

“The idea of marrying Perry, of being with anyone else, just felt so wrong. I knew I’d been fooling myself as soon as you came back, but I couldn’t let myself think about what that meant.” 

“What if I hadn’t come back?” Nicole asked. 

“I don’t even want to think about that. Perry told me I’d been different since you came back, but I haven’t. I’ve been myself again for the first time in years. You let me be myself, you’ve always seen me and accepted me just as I am.” 

“Why would I ever want to change anything about you?” Nicole smiled, nuzzling her nose against Waverly’s. 

“I tried to change you, back then,” Waverly said seriously, “and I never should have. I let what other people thought or expected affect how I treated you, and I lost you because of it.” 

“We’ve both changed since then. And you didn’t lose me. I’m right here,” Nicole reminded her, squeezing her hand. 

“How could I ever have thought I could be with anyone else?” Waverly wondered, “God I love you.” 

“I love you t-“ Waverly pulled Nicole into another heated kiss before she could even finish her declaration, as if she could make up for the time they’d lost. 

Waverly had no idea how much time had passed when she finally sat up from her position atop Nicole. It had always been easy to lose herself in Nicole. She was sure that the happy, dazed expression on Nicole’s face matched her own. They continued to grin at each other for a moment until Nicole asked, “So what now? Do we sail off into the sunset on the True Love?” 

Waverly laughed. “That sounds like a dream. But first, I think I need to go home.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“I made this mess, it’s up to me to clean it up,” Waverly decided. 

“Okay. I’m coming with you,” Nicole said as she sat up and began to sort her disheveled clothes and hair. 

“Thank you for the support.” 

“Of course. I feel like I should be there since I’m kind of responsible too,” Nicole said with a smirk. 

“Ah, there’s that old cockiness,” Waverly laughed. 

“You love it.” 

“I do,” Waverly said seriously, before kissing her again. She pulled back a moment later and breathed, “We need to go now or we’ll never leave this boat.” 

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Nicole grinned mischievously, then groaned as Waverly stood up and pulled her up too. 

Waverly spent most of the drive back sneaking glances over at Nicole, revelling in the feeling of her hand on her leg, and it was only when she turned into the driveway that she thought about facing everyone. Her alarm grew as she passed cars parked all the way up the drive and by the time she pulled up in front of the house, she was in a panic. 

“Why are all these cars here? The guests must have arrived,” she fretted. 

“Maybe there wasn’t enough time to contact everyone.” 

“Oh God, now I’m going to have to face them all too. How do I tell them there’s no wedding?” 

“What if there was?” Nicole asked suddenly. 

Waverly turned to face her. “What do you mean?” 

“Well, everything is set up for a wedding, the guests are there, we’re here...” 

“Y-you mean... us?” 

“Why not?” Nicole shrugged, smiling.

“You would do that just to save my face?” Waverly asked, scarcely able to let herself believe what Nicole had just said. 

“What can I say, it’s such a nice face,” Nicole grinned, then added more seriously, “I would, Waverly, of course I would. I’ve always been yours.” 

Waverly was stunned, unable to come up with an answer. The day had already been a whirlwind; from a break up and a cancelled wedding, to a reunion and now a proposal, of sorts. With Nicole looking at her expectantly, Waverly made up her mind. “No.” 

“No?” Nicole looked crestfallen and Waverly rushed to reassure her. “When we get married it will be on our own terms, when we want to.” 

“When?” Nicole asked hopefully. 

“Yes, when. If I said yes now, it would be to please other people, and I’m done with that.” 

When they got out of the car, Waverly waited until Nicole was by her side, holding her hand, before walking to the front door. Just before they reached it, the door was thrown open and Ward stood there, Michelle just behind him. 

“Waverly! What the hell- oh,” he stopped short when he saw Waverly and Nicole hand-in-hand. “What is this?” he demanded, but his tone was calmer. 

“I’m sorry daddy, I never meant to cause all this trouble,” Waverly began, “but I just couldn’t go through with the wedding.” 

“So your sister told me. Now we know the reason why,” he said, looking pointedly at Nicole. 

“This has nothing to do with Nicole. Well, obviously it does, but even if she wasn’t here, it wouldn’t have been right to marry Perry. I think everyone could see it.” Ward grumbled a little but didn’t argue, so emboldened, Waverly pressed on. “I wish I had been brave enough to see it sooner and stop it before, well, now. I’m sorry for the mess I’ve made, but I will clear it up. I’ll explain to the guests now.” 

Michelle stepped forward. “Everyone knows. We didn’t manage to contact everyone in time, but we’ve told the guests that did come.” 

“And the guests are still here?” 

“We also didn’t manage to cancel the food in time, and we didn’t know if you were coming back...” 

“So there’s a party going on back there?” Waverly asked incredulously. 

“Well, it’s not a party as such. Perhaps a celebration of a reunion?” Michelle gestured at the couple standing in front of her. 

“I don’t think we need a party for that,” Waverly told her, looking at Nicole. 

“Maybe a private party,” Nicole said, just loudly enough for Waverly to hear. 

Waverly nudged her with her shoulder before she replied, “I’ll go and speak to them now.” 

When they walked into the foyer, they saw Wynonna standing near the bottom of the stairs with Rosita, Doc and their luggage. Wynonna grinned and raised her eyebrows at the sight of Waverly and Nicole hand-in-hand but refrained from saying anything. 

“You’re leaving?” Waverly asked Rosita and Doc. 

“We were here to cover a wedding, and, well, no wedding...” Rosita shrugged, and Waverly cringed a little. 

“But so much more scandal. Quite the story you’ve got yourself now, huh?” 

Rosita shared a look with Doc before she replied, “We’re not doing a story.” 

“You’re not?” Waverly asked in surprise, “but what about your assignment?” 

“The assignment was to cover a wedding, and there’s no wedding. As far as we’re concerned, there’s no story to turn in. Besides, someone told me it would be a waste of my talent,” Rosita smiled at Waverly, who gave her a grateful look in return. 

“Thank you. I’m not sure I deserve that, but I appreciate it.” 

“And as for the magazine, they can write what they like about my so-called scandal, I don’t care,” Michelle added. 

Surprised, Waverly looked at her father to gauge his reaction but his expression was one of resignation. It seemed like she wasn’t the only member of the family realising what she really wanted and choosing to follow her heart. 

They said their goodbyes to Rosita and Doc, Waverly promising to follow Rosita’s work, then began to make their way through the house and out to the garden. As they got closer, Waverly’s nerves about facing everyone returned full force. She didn’t realise she was gripping Nicole’s hand tightly until she felt herself pulled away from the others and into an empty room. 

When the door was closed behind them, Nicole asked, “You okay, Waves?” 

“I kind of blocked out that I’d actually have to go out there and speak to everyone, now I have no idea what to do or say,” she admitted. 

“Hey, it’ll be fine. You’ve done the hard part, and I’ll be with you, okay?” Nicole told her, pulling her in for a kiss. Waverly relaxed against her for a moment, relishing the fact that Nicole was by her side once again. 

“Okay. I can do this,” Waverly stated, but her voice still betrayed her nerves. 

“You can. Or, that offer to sail into the sunset is still open. I hear you’re pretty good at climbing out of windows,” Nicole smirked, and Waverly laughed out loud, immediately feeling lighter. 

“You know, I think I’ll take you up on that before the day is out.” 

After another kiss that left them both a little breathless, Nicole asked, “You ready?” 

Waverly laced her fingers with Nicole’s and looked up at her. “With you, for anything.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END! Thank you for sticking with this story based purely on imagining WayHaught as Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. Thanks for all the comments and kudos, it's gratifying that other people could imagine them as this duo (and I hope you don't mind too much that I changed the ending...)
> 
> You're all very kind.
> 
> I'm on Twitter @HaughtToScot :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for taking the time to read, much appreciated. Same time next week!
> 
> Feel free to give me a shout on Twitter @HaughtToScot


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